About CORCAN

History of CORCAN

Correctional industries play an important role in the daily operation of correctional institutions and the reintegration of offenders to the community. They particularly provide interventions that help offenders to address their correctional plan and meaningful daily activities. The role of CSC’s offender employment program has changed significantly since its start. In the 19th century, prison industry was a punishment meant to reform the misguided. In the early 20th century, it was seen as an important component in the rehabilitative process. Today, the employment and employability program, including interventions and services for offenders, contribute to the reintegration of federal offenders. This has a positive impact on public safety.

The ultimate goal of CSC’s offender employment and employability program is to help offenders to find and maintain employment in the community by building important skills, including providing:

• technical, transferable, and essential skills
• job search services
• employability services

This helps offenders:

• reintegrate into the community, and
• find and keep employment while under community supervision

The creation of CORCAN

In 1980, CSC launched the CORCAN trademark as part of the CSC correctional industry program. In 1992, the government approved CORCAN as a special operating agency (SOA). Because of this new status, CORCAN began to:

• strengthen partnerships with private sector firms
• build capacity for program delivery utilizing revenue reinvestment
• increase opportunities for other government departments to contribute to priorities through acquiring from or partnering with CORCAN

The result for inmates was:

• more realistic working conditions and scenarios, and
• increased responsibilities for both staff and inmates

As CORCAN evolved its operations and practices, offenders:

• gained valuable trade experience, and
• learned useful life skills

1990 to present

• 2025: As of December 19, 2024, CORCAN has chosen not to continue International Organization for Standards (ISO) 9001 certification. We continue to maintain our established Quality Management System which includes internal audits. CORCAN is committed to an innovative approach based on ongoing improvements within the organisation. By adopting Kaizen principles CORCAN expects to see improvements from this new system, such as: 
  • enhanced employee engagement
  • improved overall quality
  • reduction of waste (such as; time, material, costs) and
  • increased creativity.
• 2020: CORCAN Kingston location integrates the community based training and transitional employment program to include full CORCAN program and services at location, under the umbrella of the Kingston Community Industry:
  • warehouse
  • inventory management
  • installations
  • design
  • sales, and
  • administrative offices
• 2020: Community industry activities commence for client installations in the Atlantic Region.
• 2019: Community industry activities commence for client installations in the Prairie and Ontario Regions. 
• 2019: National Employment Skills Program for Indigenous offenders launches, which includes curriculums for Indigenous men and Indigenous women developed in collaboration with three Indigenous organizations.
• 2019: Edmonton Community Industry opens in Edmonton, Alberta.
• 2018: Community industry commences for client installations in the Quebec Region.
• 2018: Penitentiary farms reopen, reimplementing the CORCAN agriculture business line, at Collins Bay and Joyceville Institutions.
• 2018: Saskatoon Community Industry opens in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
• 2017-18: Indigenous Offender Employment Initiative commences implementation in the Prairie Region.
• 2015-16: CSC fully integrates responsibility for vocational training within CORCAN.
• 2012: CORCAN signs a national memorandum of understanding for ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
• 2009 to 2011: Penitentiary farms close across the country and CORCAN implements new initiatives.
• 2006: CORCAN develops and launches the National Employability Skills Program (NESP) in collaboration with Conference Board of Canada, which includes a curriculum for men and another for women.
• 2000: CSC establishes employment coordinator functions in each region and later transfers them to CORCAN responsibility.
• 2000: CORCAN commences collaboration with Habitat for Humanity.
• 1998: CORCAN moves the National Engineering and Technical Services Centre from Montreal to Laval, Quebec.
• 1994: CORCAN expands to add a fifth business line, construction.
• 1992: National warehouse and distribution centre opens in Kingston, Ontario.
• 1992: CORCAN reconfigures operations into four business lines:
  • agriculture
  • manufacturing
  • services
  • textiles
• 1992: The Treasury Board approves CORCAN as a Special Operating Agency.
• 1991: Moncton workshop becomes the first community industry.
• 1990: CORCAN begins the process of getting International Organization for Standards (ISO) certification.

CORCAN today

Approximately half of incarcerated offenders have high or moderate employment and/or education needs. CORCAN contributes to offender rehabilitation by providing correctional interventions throughout their sentence including:

• employment related training, including on-the-job and vocational training
• employability skills
• a range of employment services including transitional employment to help them find and maintain a job once they are released

Research shows that offenders who find jobs in the community are more than three times less likely to return to CSC’s custody.

Besides other elements of the offender employment and employability program, CORCAN currently provides on-the-job training to offenders in both correctional institutions and community environments. CORCAN-operated industries offer training under five business lines:

• manufacturing
• textiles
• services
• construction
• agriculture

To learn more about these business lines, and what kind of products produced and offered, please navigate to the Products and Services page. Your regional sales representative can also help out with any product inquiries.

Products and services delivered through CORCAN on-the-job training sites generate revenues. CORCAN fully reinvests these revenues in its employment and employability program to:

• sustain
• expand, and
• upgrade interventions to offenders

CORCAN's goal is to strive to better the programs offered and reinvest in offender rehabilitation and reintegration through these programs.

Interested in learning even more about CORCAN today? Visit our page for the CORCAN Advisory Board to meet the members.

The National Engineering and Technical Support Center (NETSC) plays a key role in offender employment by providing education and training to offenders who can use their new skills and expertise to support CORCAN sales representatives in meeting client design needs and requirements. This is achieved through a small team of engineers, designers, and architectural technicians, as well as our talented group of offenders.

NETSC staff train offenders using the latest design software, including AutoCAD, to space plan and quote potential jobs that are forwarded to the centre by sales representatives from across the country. Over $40 million in furniture quotations are prepared annually.

Offenders are provided the opportunity to work and learn in a creative and challenging work environment, which helps them to obtain and maintain employment after release. Offenders who successfully complete their internships with CORCAN at NETSC have a 100% employment rate upon release.

The CORCAN National Warehouse and Distribution Centre is a highly efficient warehousing operation occupying over 70,000 square feet of storage, staging, and shipping space. Collocated with the CORCAN Ontario Region Sales and Administrative offices, the facility is well positioned to provide exceptional service through our Quick Ship Program.

The National Warehouse and Distribution Centre is also a training site. While working there, offenders perform a range of tasks, gaining skills and experience in shipping, receiving, inventory management, stock rotation, quality assurance, and client service. They participate in a number of certified training programs including health and safety (WHMIS), and lift truck operation. They also learn how to use a computerized warehouse inventory management system, which will allow them to gain the training and work experience they need to apply for work in a warehouse with a major retailer.

With the current labour market demand for skilled material handlers, experience gained at the CORCAN National Warehouse and Distribution Centre will greatly assist offenders in finding and maintaining employment in the community.