APSCA Newsletter January 2021

January 28, 2021

January 2021 continued with sustained momentum in Membership growth; three Member Firms achieved Full Membership status during the month following the six Firms announced in December 2020. While our membership strengthens, we continue to pursue opportunities to enhance membership experience; recently including the release of our new website – New Year, New Look, Same Mission!

In this this issue:

New Year, New Website!
Member Firm Announcements
Membership Fees
CSCA Examination Progress
Auditor Enrollments
Exam Reminders
APSCA’S 2020 AGM & Online Stakeholder Event
Resource Library
FAQs

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Visit our Websit

New Year, New Website!

Member Firm Announcements

We are pleased to congratulate full APSCA Member Firms UL LLC, Lloyd’s Register and Insite Compliance LLC along with our newest provisional Member Firm Key Traceability Ltd on their commitment to the realization of APSCA’s mission “To enhance the Professionalism and Credibility of individuals and organizations performing independent social compliance audits”.

Full Members:

Provisional Members:

For information on Firm Membership definitions and how your Firm can commence the application process, please visit our website.

IMPORTANT - Member Auditors – 2021 Membership Fees Due

During January, Member Firms were asked to raise 2021 Membership Fees for applicable auditors. However, an Auditor who has been identified by their Firm as being responsible for their own Membership Fees will be required to request an invoice or accept one if issued directly to the Auditor by a Firm.

Auditors or Firms with questions regarding 2021 membership invoices can contact APSCA at
Accounts@theapsca.org.

Invoices Raised by Jan. 31
As is APSCA’s usual practice, invoices are not be automatically raised. This must be actioned by either the Firm or Auditor, and any auditor not requesting an invoice by January 31, will be moved to “lapsed” until they request their Membership invoice. Please ensure you are taking action to raise invoices, as needed, January 31 is just around the corner.

Invoices Paid by Feb. 28
Auditors with unpaid Membership fees as at 1 March will be moved to the category of “lapsed”. ‘Lapsed’ auditor means the auditor is not an ‘In Good Standing’ Member Auditor and cannot use their Member Number on a Social Compliance Audit or call themselves an APSCA Member Auditor. For more information on status categories/definitions, visit our APSCA Member Auditors page of our website.

If you are unsure about invoices, please check your APSCA account (see ‘Invoices’ tab) or contact APSCA team at Director@theapsca.org.

Any questions, please contact: director@theapsca.org

CSCA Examination Progress

APSCA continues to make progress towards the roll-out of exams in our 6 new languages. We have recently uploaded Turkish, Italian, and Portuguese to the existing Chinese and Spanish list of translated resources found in the Resource Library, which supports the upcoming launch. Both Turkish and Italian Part I questions have been added to the exam site and are going through a verification process. We will keep you informed once the additional languages are ready to be launched.

During January, examination rates remained strong with the total number of completed exams now exceeding 6,000 with an overall pass rate of 74%. A summary of cumulative exam results can be downloaded below.

For all CSCA Exams (Parts I – III) Auditors must consult with their Member Firm to confirm eligibility to sit each exam. Please ensure you follow the guidance in the Auditor Handbook and notify APSCA prior to enrolling for any exam; failure to follow the guidance, may see the exam disallowed and being unable to sit for a period up to 12 months.

CSCA Exams Part I and II are available in four Languages (English, Spanish, Simplified & Traditional Chinese).

CSCA Exam Part III interviews commenced in August. The Part III Exam is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese. The scheduling process has been finalized and we are contacting Firms / Auditors directly. We recognize that the Part III launch has been a bit slower than we all hoped, mainly due to COVID, however the pace has stepped up with over 300 auditors being invited to schedule in the last few weeks.

Please see our website, Resource Library for more information

Auditor Enrollments

As at 25 January 2021, total enrolled Auditors exceeded 4,250 with a summary by Auditor level provided below.

APSCA recently enhanced the look and feel of the exam reports that are issued to auditors as part of continuous improvement. This went live early January.
APSCA recently launched a range of new Part I exam questions in the existing 4 languages and have launched a new Part II Case Study in English. Additional languages to follow shortly.
Exam due dates for auditors sitting Part II and III exams for 2021 are noted on APSCA’s website. If an Auditor is unsure whether this applies to them please contact APSCA via director@theapsca.org.

REMINDER: For Auditors who have recently obtained RA level status, you have 6 months from the date you obtained your RA status to sit Part I exam IF advanced in a language the exam is offered.

Upon passing Part I, Auditors have 3 months from the date notified of passing Part I to sit Part II, IF advanced in a language the exam is offered.

We remind our Members to consult the Resource Library to access the latest membership documents, exam dates, webinars, and more.

In Case You Missed It – APSCA'S 2020 AGM & Online Stakeholder Event

Facing the Future, Together

APSCA’s 2020 Annual General Meeting & Stakeholder Events were held online during December 7-8 and 14-15 with over 268 registered. The online event reflected on achievements across APSCA’s five (5) pillars of Validation, Governance, Ethics & Integrity, Communications and Processes and Systems.

Highlights included recognition of a total of 139 Certified Social Compliance Auditors (CSCAs) along with a year in review of achievements (membership and exams), ethics and integrity, and APSCA progress despite the global challenges and impacts of COVID to our members, community, and industry.

For more on topics covered, visit our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Stakeholder Event page for pre-watch videos, our Annual Report, and other materials shared with attendees for a year in review of APSCA’s progress and continued commitment to strengthening industry credibility – and Facing the Future, Together

Any questions, please contact director@theapsca.org.

To better serve our Membership and interested parties, we established a Resource Library on APSCA’s website. The library provides a comprehensive directory of member documents, key dates, exam guides, webinars for ease of access, and more!

To further enhance this page, we have added:

‘Announcements’
Key messages will be posted to the new ‘announcements’ section for both general and exam related topics. Announcements will be updated on an ongoing basis.

Policies (Latest)
APSCA’s latest policies are available for viewing. The videos provide an overview of policies presented at APSCA’s 2020 AGM & Stakeholder Event, including: Auditor Status, Subcontractors, and Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Document Translations
Further to our existing member documents, available in English, Spanish, and Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), APSCA is in the process of translating member documents in additional languages to better serve our global membership and community. Additional updates will be provided in due course though we encourage you to regularly review the Resource Page to see the latest documents and translations as they are released.

Visit our website to access the resources.

FAQs

Check out APSCA’s FAQ page – it has been recently updated.

Don’t see a question / answer you’re looking for? Contact us at d irector@theapsca.org.

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Stay Updated

APSCA Newsletter January 2021

New Year, New Website!

Member Firm Announcements

IMPORTANT - Member Auditors – 2021 Membership Fees Due

CSCA Examination Progress

Auditor Enrollments

In Case You Missed It – APSCA'S 2020 AGM & Online Stakeholder Event

Facing the Future, Together

FAQs

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