At the cessation of Q1, we are pleased to announce significant progress toward the realization of APSCA’s 2019 strategic plan.

March capitalized on the recent acceleration of the auditor certification program with APSCA’s new Certification Coordinator to continue enhancement of exam scheduling and coordination from mid-April. Part II of the CSCA exam is set to move toward the forefront of piloting ahead of a soft-launch early-June.

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

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​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 number of tests are scheduled to commence during April.

We look forward to sharing the learnings and feedback in the next Newsletter. 

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.

See Firm Application Process Here

APSCA’s New Certification Coordinator 

APSCA would like to announce that Essie Grant has joined the APSCA Team
​as the Certification Coordinator.

Essie Grant joins APSCA after 4 years with the Foxconn Corporation where she worked as a Safety Coordinator and Global SER Manager and also attained certifications as a Labor, Ethics, Environmental, Health and Safety Auditor. As a graduate of The University of Virginia at Wise, Essie holds a degree in the French language and enjoys spending time with family and going to the gym. ​

APSCA Auditor Enrollments
Auditor enrollments increased during the month, following updates to the auditor registry during February which resulted in the attribution of an ‘inactive status’ for approximately 170 auditors. 

Where We’ll Be – APSCA Out and About 

• Mar 26 – 27: Sedex Conference – London
• Mar 28-29: APSCA Executive Board Meeting – London 

Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 1,800 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.

February realized strong progress in APSCA’s 2019 Strategic Plan with the auditor certification program buoyed by the successful piloting of Part 1 of the CSCA examination in Simplified Chinese and Spanish.

Growing demand for the certification program has supported the offering a new Certification Coordinator’s position while we celebrate the achievements and contribution of our retiring Director of Systems Management and APSCA Founding Member / Executive Board Secretary.

Language Soft Launch Exam – CSCA Exam Part 1 (Simplified Chinese/Spanish) | Jan 23 – 25, 2019 
During January, APSCA hosted a Language Soft Launch Exam, piloting Part 1 Multiple Choice examination questions in simplified Chinese and Spanish. 49 auditors from 30 firms, participated in the pilot with an overall pass rate of 84%. In addition, the pilot provided further opportunity to optimize the examination process as we prepare for the launch of the CSCA Exam Part 1 (simplified Chinese and Spanish) by Q1 end.

In consultation with ProctorU (our exam service provider), our leadership team have compiled feedback from participating auditors and audit firms to identify means of enhancing examination efficacy and participant experience. Separately results of the examination have provided initial insight into auditor strengths and development opportunities. The following have been noted as the average top 5 areas of opportunity and strength.  
Top 5 areas of opportunity

• Business legitimacy and integrity of records
• Use of APSCA number
• Data Collection & Analysis
• Freedom of Association and effective recognition of the rights to collective bargain
• Discrimination and disciplinary practices

Top 5 areas of strength

• Self-management
• Working Hours and Overtime
• Underage Labour
• Interview Skills
• Communication, relationship management and conflict resolution

​Areas of opportunity should form the focus of professional development for auditors and audit firms. For more information regarding these areas, please refer to APSCA’s Competency Framework.

(In photo (left to right) at ProctorU onsite pilot: Kara Chan, Rona Starr, Kelly-Jo Potts and Tara Holeman)

Now Available – New Firm Membership Application Process
APSCA’s Audit Firm Membership Application process has been formally released with details available via the link here.

APSCA Leadership Team Changes
It is with great disappointment, we share news of Julie Shaw’s retirement. Since September 2016, Julie has been a driving force in APSCA’s growth and development. As Director of Systems Management, Julie has established critical processes which underpin the integrity of the Association’s function. During her tenure, Julie notably enrolled over 3000 auditors and onboarded 32 audit firms reinforcing a substantial foundation for sustained membership growth. On behalf of our members we extend our sincere thanks to Julie for her significant contribution to APSCA’s mission.
 
APSCA’s President & CEO, Rona Starr commenting “On behalf of the Executive Board, I extend our tremendous gratitude to Julie for her efforts over the past 2.5 years. APSCA’s development is testimony to Julie’s commitment, foresight and attention to detail. I wish her the best as she enjoys retirement with her husband.”

APSCA Auditor Enrollments
During February, auditor enrollments continued to increase with net growth offset by the attribution of an ‘inactive status’ for approximately 170 auditors.

The status of enrolled auditors is regularly updated to maintain the currency of APSCA’s auditor registry. An auditor may be assigned an ‘inactive’ status where the auditor has become dissociated from an Audit Firm and or fails to respond to communications regarding continuing membership.

The recent revision of auditor status’ serves as a timely reminder –  Member Auditor accounts are recorded independent of Member Firms. As such, an individual auditors account details, and membership number stays with them wherever they work.  
 
Account changes will only be accepted through notification from the Auditor.  Auditors should email the APSCA Data Administrator at data.administrator@theapsca.org, with any  requested changes.  It is also good practice to share an alternate (personal) email address to be maintained on the Auditors profile.
 
Firms are encouraged to incorporate confirmation of ASPCA Auditor Membership during their onboarding processes on new auditors to facilitate Auditor being linked with applicable Member Firms. Firms should also develop an off-boarding process to ensure detachment with the APSCA database as required. Member Firms should notify the Data Administrator of any changes to member connections via data.administrator@theapsca.org.
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​WFSGI General Assembly and Annual Meeting (Jan 30 – Feb 6)
Our President & CEO, Rona Starr was honored to present at the recent WFSGI (Worldwide Federation of Sporting Goods Industry) Corporate Responsibility Working Group and General Assembly. The event provided an opportunity to share APSCA’s progress and plans for 2019 and beyond.  Engagement from the 100+ attendees was positive with interest from both social compliance audit providers and consumers alike. 

About WFSGI
WFSGI is the world authoritative body for the sports industry officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the industry representative within the Olympic Family.

WFSGI are a valuable member of APSCA’s supporting stakeholder network having committed their support via APSCA’s Support Statement  and further encouraged the execution of their social compliance audits by APSCA Member Firms.

APSCA Now Hiring!
Looking to join a dynamic and growing group? Explore the latest job opportunity with APSCA as Certification Coordinator. To learn more about this role and apply, visit here.

Where We’ll Be – APSCA Out and About 
Mar 13 – 14: Responsible Fashion Summit – Sydney
Mar 26 – 27: Sedex Conference – London

Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 1,700 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 December we held our 2018 Annual General Meeting for resolution of Board nominations and operational review. The event provided an opportunity to extend thanks and appreciation to our Executive and Stakeholder Boards for their leadership and guidance through 2018; a year marked by unprecedented growth and development.

Further, the Board would like to thank our Members for their continuing support and dedication to the realization of APSCA’s mission. We are confident in your carriage of our vision for 2019 and look forward to supporting your work through enhancement of the professionalism, consistency and credibility of the independent social compliance audit industry.

Annual General Meeting 2018 Update
APSCA’s 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held in Hong Kong on 4 December with over 140 in attendance. The event reflected on achievements across the 3 pillars of Validation, Governance and Processes and Systems.  Read the address from APSCA’a President & CEO, Rona Starr here.

Addressing the formal resolutions of the AGM, APSCA welcomed the following new Board Members:
Executive Board

• Greg Gardner (Arche Advisors, Inc.)
• Richard Ingrao (Accordia Global Compliance Group, Inc.)
• Darrell Doren (ELEVATE) (replacing Kevin Franklin)
• Effie Marinos (SGS) (replacing Pierre-Yves Dupont)
• Jan Saumweber (Walmart) (Stakeholder Board representative)

Special thanks were extended to Pierre-Yves Dupont, Kevin Franklin, Antonio Astone and Wesley Wilson, for their great contributions to the development and growth of the Association.

APSCA Executive Stakeholder Boards From Left Back Row: Rajan Kamalanathan, Richard Ingrao, Antonio Astone, Christian Ewert, Dan Murray, Christophe Liebon, Randy Rankin, Frank Dorssers, Jonathan Ivelaw-Chapman. From Left Front Row:  Rochelle Zaid, Avedis Seferian, Effie Marinos, Jan Saumweber, Pierre-Yves Dupont, Greg Gardner, Rona Starr. Absent from photo:  Darrell Doren, Fred Waelter, Laura Chapman Rubbo, Bernardo Cruza, Elizabeth Borrelli, Wesley Wilson.
See more from the AGM here

2018 Membership Snapshot – Auditor Enrollments
The substantial increase in auditor enrollments during the year has further reinforced APSCA’s position as the independent social auditing industry association. Now exceeding 3200, APSCA’s Member Auditor base embodies a geographically and ethnically diverse population.

APSCA President & CEO commented: “Respective of market demand, industry commitment has escalated since ASPCA’s formation. The augmentation of auditor enrolments is considered a direct reflection of this response; increasing by some 200% since April 2018 to reach over 3,200 fully enrolled auditors as at the end of December 2018 from over 40 Audit Firm Members. Further, our auditor base spans across more than 93 countries with more than 45 different languages confirming such commitment is widespread and demanding of APSCA’s international presence.”

​Download our 2018 Membership Snapshot

CSCA Exam Part 1 
Following optimization of the examination process considering key pilot learnings, APSCA
held a Pre-Launch 3-4 October 2018 and a Soft Launch 12-24 November 2018.   119 Auditors from 39 of our Member Firms participated in these events which reflected a major milestone in our strategic plan. The launch saw a 71% pass rate with 22 participants unable to complete the examination due to IT or poor internet issues.
 
Discover the development of the CSCA Exam from pilot to launch!

The full launch began 17 December 2018 commencing with over 130 auditors enrolled to sit Part 1 of the exam.  We will hold a soft launch for Part 1 of the exam in Simplified Chinese and Spanish late January 2019 with an anticipated full roll-out late Quarter 1, 2019.  We have provided monthly allocations for each Member Firm for this initial phase of implementation

Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 1,500 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!

New Firm Membership Application Process
APSCA’s new Firm Membership Application process has been formally released and details can be found on our website.
​
​All applications should be sent to applications@theapsca.org.

Seasons Greetings from the APSCA Team!

From Left: Julie Shaw (APSCA Director Systems Management), Kerrie Baylis (APSCA Data Administrator), Kelly-Jo Potts (APSCA Member Services Manager) & Rona Starr (APSCA President & CEO)