​During June, CSCA Part I examinations continued with a strengthening pass rate (78%) across the four language offerings. Audit Firm Membership was bolstered by the welcoming of three new provisional Member Firms while auditor enrollments realized a 68% year on year increase.

CSCA Exam Part 1
With a total of 836 exams completed to date, pass rates for Part I of the CSCA examination increased to 78% during June. Performance across the three language offerings remained strong with the  breakdown of successful participants by exam language comprising (approximately):

• English 52%
• Chinese (Simplified) 43%
• Spanish 4%
• Chinese (Traditional) 1% 

Pilot CSCA Exam Part II (English)
Cumulative pass rates from Part II of the CSCA examination demonstrated a slight decline during June to 66%.

Participants demonstrated strong competency across the following  foundational skills and functional knowledge areas: 

• Harassment and Abuse Practices
• Management Systems
• Forced Labour
• Freedom of Association
• Discrimination and Disciplinary Practices 

Areas for improvement included:

• Appropriate use of APSCA member number
• Underage labor
• Wages, benefits and terms of employment
• Working Hours and Overtime
• Problem Solving and Analytical

To enhance exam performance, applicants are strongly encouraged to:

• review the Auditor Handbook prior to the examination and 
• carefully follow question instructions​

APSCA Auditor Enrollments
During June, the total number of enrolled auditors reached over 3,500 to realize a 68% year on year increase (from June 2018). 

Updated – Code & Standards of Professional Conduct
APSCA’s Code & Standards of Professional Conduct (English) were updated during June with the new version available one our website – click here to view. 

Translated versions in Spanish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese to follow. Stay tuned! 

Provisional Member Announcements
We are pleased to welcome three new provisional Member Firms; ABS Quality Evaluations Inc, APCER and QIMA Limited. Congratulations on your commitment to the realization of APSCA’s mission “To Enhance the Professionalism and Credibility of individuals and organisations performing independent social compliance audits.”

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

Membership Application Process
APSCA’s Audit Firm Membership Application process was formally released last November. Details can be found on our website.  All applications should be sent to applications@theapsca.org.

 
Membership Reminders [Action Required]

Member Firms
All existing members need to reapply by June 30, 2020.
 
Member Auditors
If you are a “Registered Level” auditor and have not submitted your audit log, you must ensure this is completed by no later than July 30, 2019.

Don’t wait until the last minute!  Get in early!  
 
For more information email KellyJo.Potts@theapsca.org

 
FAQs – Now Available 
Be sure to check out APSCA’s newly updated FAQ page. Have a question? We’ve got answers here.  
Don’t see a question/ answer you’re looking for? Contact us at Director@theapsca.org 

 
Events
June proved to be a very busy month for APSCA with representatives attending several events to further promote our global mission.

As a collaboration between audit firms, auditors, stakeholders and audit consumers, these events continue to strengthen our connection to industry and allow APSCA to better service our growing membership.

Be sure to connect via APSCA’s official LinkedIn and Twitter accounts to stay up to date!

Left: As well as providing an insightful snapshot of emerging trends in sustainable trade, the amfori – Trade with Purpose #unleashopportunity conference provided a forum to gather past and present members of our Executive Board. Top Right:  At the Sino-German Sustainability Summit hosted by TUVRheinland. Bottom Right: Stakeholder Board meeting hosted by The Walt Disney Company headquarters (Burbank, California).

 
Member Firm and Auditors – Dates to Remember 
30 July 2019: Audit logs to be provided to APSCA for review to validate and maintain Registered Level Auditor (RA) 

ALL “Registered” (RA) Level auditors already in APSCA’s data system who have not submitted an audit log must provide their signed audit log to validate their APSCA level per the due date above. Should an audit log not be received, the auditor will be re-assigned to the level of ASCA.

As a reminder, ASCA auditors can NOT audit on their own, they must be accompanied by a RA level auditor.  Refer to APSCA Code of Professional Conduct and Competency Framework.  Any questions please contact us at: director@theapsca.org 

 
Questions? Send them here.

 
Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 2,000 subscribers each month! We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date here. Further, if you have a friend or colleague that may be interested in APSCA please share this newsletter with them via the link below.

Share with my colleagues!

During May, completion of the CSCA Part I Examination increased substantially with results continuing to demonstrate improving pass rates. Outcomes of the Part II Examination pilot were also positively received and key learnings are currently under assessment for pilot scaling.

APSCA’s President & CEO commented “The advancement of APSCA’s Auditor Certification Program reinforces our commitment to the improvement of audit integrity and comprehension.  I envisage certification will form a major consideration for auditor selection where consumers are seeking credibility of audit outcomes”

CSCA Exam Part 1
Participation rates for Part I of the CSCA examination increased significantly during the month. 788 exams have been completed to date with an overall pass rate of 75% reflecting a 3% increase on April.

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​APSCA Auditor Enrollments
Enrollment growth continued during May to reach 3,445 Auditors. Approximately 17% have successfully completed Part I of the CSCA Examination where forecasts indicate this will exceed 20% by June end. 

Executive Board Updates
It is with much disappointment we farewell Fred Waelter from our Executive Board. Fred has made an outstanding contribution to the establishment of APSCA’s positive trajectory and we are most grateful for his support.

In fulfillment of the Executive Board opening we are pleased to welcome  Angie Weikel – Global Quality Assurance Manager, Audits & Inspections and Quality Assurance Manager, Responsible Sourcing at UL.

Angie offers a wealth of industry experience and knowledge in delivering responsible sourcing solutions. Her understanding of the challenges presented by dynamic and global supply chains will be fundamental to APSCA’s mission to enhance the professionalism, consistency and credibility of social compliance audits and auditors. 

 
Reminder – New Firm Membership Application Process
APSCA’s Audit Firm Membership Application process has been formally released with details available via the link below. All applications should be sent to applications@theapsca.org.

Reminder: All existing members also need to reapply – get in early! For more information email KellyJo.Potts@theapsca.org.

FAQs – Now Available 
Be sure to check out APSCA’s newly updated FAQ page. Have a question? We’ve got answers here.  
Don’t see a question/answer you’re looking for? Contact us at Director@theapsca.org 

  
Member Firm and Auditors – Dates to Remember 
30 July 2019: Audit logs to be provided to APSCA for review to validate and maintain Registered Level Auditor (RA) 

ALL “Registered” (RA) Level auditors already in APSCA’s data system who have not submitted an audit log must provide their signed audit log to validate their APSCA level per due date above. Should an audit log not be received, the auditor will be re-assigned to the level of ASCA.

 
Where We’ll Be – APSCA Out and About

• May 29-30: APSCA Executive Board Mtg. – Northbrook, IL (USA)
• June 4-5: APSCA Stakeholder Board Mtg.  – Burbank, CA  (USA) 
• June 17-19:  Amfori Conference – Belgium

​Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 1,990 subscribers each month! We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date here. Further, if you have a friend or colleague that may be interested in APSCA please share this newsletter with them via the link below.

​During April, the development of APSCA’s Auditor Certification Program formed a core focus. Part II of the CSCA Examination was piloted with results informing process optimisation ahead of a soft launch scheduled for early June.

Participants of the CSCA Exam Part I continued to maintain a strong pass rate during the month while April realised a 5% increase in auditor enrollments since December 2018.   

​CSCA Exam Part 1 
Participants have maintained a strong pass rate during Q1 with the rate of exam completion and scheduling increasing substantially.

​Pilot CSCA Exam Part II (English) 
As APSCA continues to advance the auditor certification program the focus is shifting toward the soft-launch of Part II CSCA exam in early June. In anticipation, a pilot was completed during April with results currently subject to review. Further details will be provided in the May Newsletter.

 
APSCA Auditor Enrollments
Auditor enrollments continued to increase during the month, reflecting a growth of approximately 5% since December 2018. 

​Executive and Stakeholder Board Updates
It is with much disappointment we announce the resignation of Jan Saumweber from the APSCA Stakeholder and Executive Boards.  Despite her short appointment, Jan has been instrumental in supporting our strategic plan; imparting a legacy which will continue to foster our mission well beyond her tenure. 

We also farewell Bernardo Cruzo, Wesley Wilson and Elizabeth (Betsy) Borelli. Bernado and Wesley were founding members of the Stakeholder Board established in 2015 while Betsy joined in 2017 (Wesley also held a role on the Executive Board between 2016 – 2018). Each were fundamental to the growth and advocacy of APSCA during the Association’s formative years. 

In replacement of our departing board members we welcome :

• Brendan Morrissey – Director for Governance on the Responsible Sourcing Team at Walmart and
• Todd Nash – Director of Responsible Sourcing at The Home Depot.

​Please visit our website to read more about our newest Stakeholder Board Members with details on further expansion expected during June. 

In Case You Missed It 
​
ProctorU APSCA Case Study
During April, ProctorU (APSCA’s independent exam proctor) released a case study on APSCA’s auditor examination process. The case study ‘How Online Proctoring Beats In-Person Exam Administration to Securely Certify Social Compliance Auditors’, provides insight into the rationale behind APSCA’s examination format and process. Importantly, ProctorU outlines measures to preserve exam integrity with APSCA’s President and CEO Rona Starr commenting “The more credibility that we can build and demonstrate to the people that are asking for APSCA certified auditors, the better for us as an industry association”.

Watch Rona Starr, explain how remote proctoring through ProctorU is helping APSCA scale its certification exams process, save costs, increase prevention of integrity breaches and provide evidence of breaches that did occur. 

Reminder – New Firm Membership Application Process
APSCA’s Audit Firm Membership Application process has been formally released with details available via the link below. All applications should be sent to applications@theapsca.org.

Reminder: All existing members also need to reapply – get in early! For more information email Kelly.Jo@theapsca.org ​

FAQs – Now Available 
Be sure to check out APSCA’s newly updated FAQ page. Have a question? We’ve got answers here.  
Don’t see a question/answer you’re looking for? Contact us at Director@theapsca.org 

Where We’ll Be – APSCA Out and About 
May1: NBC Universal 2019 Global Brand Standards Summit – Denver, CO (USA) 

​Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 1,900 subscribers each month! We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date here. Further, if you have a friend or colleague that may be interested in APSCA please share this newsletter with them via the link below.