Newsletter & Press Releases

APSCA Newsletter November 2021

30/11/2021 - No Comments

To enhance the
professionalism
and credibility of the
individuals and organizations performing independent social
compliance audits

View this email in your browser

 

APSCA
Newsletter November 
2021

November was an exciting month for APSCA. We were
proud to launch our Annual Report on November 4th,
celebrating the success of more than 1200 Certified Social
Compliance Auditors (CSCAs) at that time and capturing APSCA
activities over the last year. The APSCA Annual General Meeting,
which ran virtually across two sessions on November 10th
and 11th, was attended by more than 500 participants.

November also saw the launch of NEW Digital Membership Cards for
all APSCA Member Auditors as part of our continued efforts to
maintain the ongoing knowledge base required of social compliance
auditors Continuous Professional Development continues to move
forward.

APSCA would also like to take this time to remind Member Auditors
and Member Firms about the important announcement regarding the
phasing out of the Registered level Auditor (RA) status.

Further highlights are provided below.

 

In this
this issue:

 

>> Share with a
friend!

>> Contact Us

 

 Connect with APSCA LinkedIn Connect
with APSCA LinkedIn

 

 Connect with APSCA Twitter Connect
with APSCA Twitter

 

YouTube YouTube

 

 Visit our Website Visit
our Website

APSCA conducted our 6th Annual General
Meeting (AGM) over two virtual sessions on November 10th
and 11th, 2021. These sessions were the second time a
Meeting of Members had been conducted virtually. Registration and
attendance levels were the highest ever with over 1000
registrants. The two sessions were attended by over 540 unique
attendees from 56 different countries representing a strong mix
of Members and Stakeholders. Presentations during the
sessions included Governance, Ethics, Continuous Professional
Development, Exams and a unique panel discussion (one per
session) around Emerging Issues- Legislation & Liability.
APSCA would like to thank our panellists for participating, Matthias Thorns,
Rachelle
Jackson
, Collen
Theron
, Laura
Rubbo
and David
Rutherford
-with a special thanks to Jon Drimmer
for mediating both panels.

Attendees remained engaged, with more than 75%
remaining connected for the full three-hours, responding to polls
during the panel sessions and providing more than 160 questions
and statements to APSCA. APSCA staff is consolidating these
questions which will be circulated to registrants, attendees and
posted on our website. Recordings of the sessions will be posted
on the APSCA website. APSCA looks forward to a potential in
person / hybrid AGM for 2022.

 

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APSCA is happy to welcome Kathy Vestering to
our US based team. Based in Kansas, Kathy is responsible for
general administrative support including, managing the director
inbox and responding to general queries. Kathy’s background in
office management and bookkeeping supports her work with our Exam
team, managing emails and Part I and II exam bookings. Kathy also
works with our Data Team to contribute to ongoing enhancements,
supports our continued work with our translators to ensure timely
updates to documentation and provides assistance on special
projects as requested to support APSCA in achieving our strategic
goals.

 

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Continous Professional Development
(CPD) UPDATE

 

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Digital Membership Cards – Now in BETA testing –
Feedback Welcome

APSCA is pleased to announce the Beta testing phase of Digital
Membership Cards.
The new cards replace current CSCA cards by creating digital
identification for Member Auditors of all levels and statuses.

Updated daily, this easy-to-use solution will make
it easier for facilities to verify auditors and for Member
Auditors to monitor their level and status.
Membership numbers are issued to an auditor when they initially
join APSCA. As soon as a membership number is issued to an
auditor, the digital card will automatically generate.
The Digital Membership Cards eliminate the manual labor involved
in production and avoid shipping delays experienced with the CSCA
card. Anti-fraud measures are in place to prevent the fraudulent
production of cards.

The new APSCA Digital Membership Cards offer a clear visual
indicator of an auditor’s level and also include a QR code
linking to a portal for additional information and, if needed,
further verification. APSCA is requesting our Member
Auditors assistance in testing this new development and would
appreciate all APSCA Member Auditors to check out your beta
test cards in your Auditor’s APSCA online account (My Account)
under the My Profile tab at www.theapsca.org.

Questions and Feedback are welcome – data.administrator@theapsca.org.
Full rollout is planned for early 2022. APSCA appreciates your
engagement and continued support.

 

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Building
upon the success of the over 1,150 Certified Social Compliance
Auditors, the next phase in the journey towards achieving APSCA’s
vision and mission is the phasing out of the interim
qualification, Registered level Auditor (RA).

Originally, APSCA created the RA Level as a
temporary designation to recognize the experience of existing
auditors. As the exam program enters its fourth year, APSCA has
codified the method of recognizing experience and evaluating
proficiency, making the RA level redundant.

During the August Member calls, Executive Board
representatives discussed the potential phasing out of the RA
level before meeting last week to discuss the transition.

Effective January 1, 2022, there will be no new RA
level Auditors.

The last day to submit an audit log to obtain RA
level is December 31st, 2021.

All newly enrolled auditors will go through pathway
4 to obtain certification.

 

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APSCA Number Guide, Auditor Handbook and
more, 

now
available in more languages!


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.

Should
you have any questions or need clarification on the exam
eligibility process, please contact us at
Director@theapsca.org

CSCA Exams & Languages:

Part I & II are available in
ten languages (English, Spanish, Simplified & Traditional
Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Bangla, Thai, and
Vietnamese). With the assistance of technology, APSCA will soon
expand our exams to cover all languages. More information to come
shortly.

Part III
is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and
Cantonese.

Please see our website, Resource
Library
 for more information

 

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 REMINDERS – EXAMS 

 

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

 

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Auditor
Enrollments

Total Number of Auditors: 4,627 (as of 30
November 2021)

 

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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 exam
preparation 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 and they will be updated on an
ongoing basis.

Policies
APSCA’s latest policies and Guidance Documents are available.

Visit our website to access the
resources.

 

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Our
monthly newsletter now reaches over 4,000 subscribers each
month!
We encourage our Member Firms to
have their auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up
to date with APSCA Happenings by clicking 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.

 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP

 

Share with my colleagues!

 

 

Questions? Send them here.

 

 

 

 Connect with APSCA LinkedIn

Connect
with APSCA LinkedIn

 Connect with APSCA Twitter

Connect
with APSCA Twitter

YouTube

YouTube

 Visit our Website

Visit
our Website

 

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Copyright
© 2021 Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors, All
rights reserved.

You are receiving this Newsletter as you subscribed via our
website.

Our mailing address is:
Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors
1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 1000,
Washington, Washington DC 20006

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

APSCA Newsletter October 2021

31/10/2021 - No Comments

To enhance the
professionalism
and credibility of the
individuals and organizations performing independent social
compliance audits

View this email in your browser

 

APSCA
Newsletter October 
2021

BUILDING ON SUCCESS

Are you
a Member Auditor looking for APSCA recognized CPD hours?

If you register and attend our upcoming Annual General Meeting
and Stakeholder Event, you will be eligible to receive a 1-hour
CPD credit! There will be topics on Exams, Continued Professional
Development and Ethics.

Not a
Member Auditor?

You’re also welcome! This year’s AGM will cover APSCA’s
achievement during 2021 and our goals for 2022. You will have the
opportunity to ask our panellists questions, as they discuss the
state of the Social Compliance Industry and the emerging issues
within.

In this month’s newsletter, we also introduce Webinars for Part
II and III in our 6 new languages, bid farewell to an APSCA team
member and welcome a new Executive Board Member.

Further highlights are provided below.

 

In
this this issue:

 

>> Share with a
friend!

>> Contact Us

 

 Connect with APSCA LinkedIn Connect with
APSCA LinkedIn

 

 Connect with APSCA Twitter Connect with
APSCA Twitter

 

YouTube YouTube

 

 Visit our Website Visit our Website

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This month, for the first time
in almost 2 years, the Executive Board held a hybrid meeting.
We had six of the ten Executive Board Members able to meet in
person, with the other four joining virtually. The Board met
over two days to discuss APSCA’s strategy, 2022 goals and the
ongoing journey towards achieving our Mission within the
industry.

We are also pleased to announce Laura Rubbo as our
newest addition to the Board and extend our warmest welcome.
Laura has been on our Stakeholder Board since APSCA began in
2015, and we are  pleased to have her hold the
Brand/Retailer seat at the Executive Board.

See our website to
learn more about our Executive Board Members.


Sitting Left to Right – Greg
Gardner, Rona Starr, Laura Rubbo
Standing left to right – Randy Rankin, Rajan Kamalanathan,
Avedis Seferian
On Screen- Top Row Justin Bettey, Mark
Spears  |  Bottom Row-  Frank Dorssers,
Anastasia Spathi

 

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REGISTER
NOW to join our Annual General Meeting & Stakeholder Event
2021

 

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Looking for CPD Credit?
Register
and attend APSCA’s Annual General Meeting!

APSCA Member Auditors at the RA/CSCA level are
required to complete a minimum of 48 hours of CPD per calendar
year. The details are outlined in the CPD policy.

APSCA is also announcing that Auditors who register and attend
this year’s online Annual General Meeting & Stakeholder Event
will be eligible for 1 CPD Credit Hour. See our website for more
information, or click here to REGISTER NOW!

If you’re an Audit Firm or Training Provider looking to submit
your courses to APSCA for review and pre-recognition, please
submit an Expression of Interest Form.

Visit our website to follow the
latest CPD developments.

Any questions, please contact Director@theapsca.org

 

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We regret to inform our readers this month, that Shannon McNulty,
who has been with us since April 2020, has decided to move on
from APSCA, with her last day being on October 29, 2021. Many of
you would have worked with Shannon when scheduling a Part III
exam, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) or liaising
through the Director email. Shannon has worked hard to provide
support to APSCA’s Members and has been the driving force behind
the integration of CPD into our data systems. We would like to
thank Shannon and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

 

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APSCA Number Guide, Part I and
Part II and III webinars –

now
available in more languages!

 

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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.

Should
you have any questions or need clarification on the exam
eligibility process, please contact us at
Director@theapsca.org

CSCA Exams & Languages:

Part I & II
are available in ten languages (English, Spanish, Simplified
& Traditional Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish,
Bangla, Thai, and Vietnamese). With the assistance of
technology, APSCA will soon expand our exams to cover all
languages. More information to come shortly.

Part
III
is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin
and Cantonese.

Please see our website, Resource
Library
 for more information

 

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APSCA’s Disciplinary Board for
Member Auditors (DBMA) was held, on October 22, 2021. The Board
reviewed four cases, with allegations including fraudulent
audit reporting, bribery and filing false expense claims. The
Board substantiated all four cases, issuing three Membership
Revocations and a Six-Month Suspension.

APSCA’s Disciplinary Board is an integral part of APSCA’s
Ethics & Integrity Program. Its effective functioning
brings greater credibility to APSCA and its certification
program.

 

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 REMINDERS – EXAMS 

 

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       CSCA –
Year by Year Pass Results

 

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

 

BACK

 

 

Auditor
Enrollments

Total Number of Auditors: 4,567 (as of 29
October 2021)

 

BACK

 

 

 


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 exam
preparation 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 and they will be updated
on an ongoing basis.

Policies
APSCA’s latest policies and Guidance Documents are
available.

Visit our website to access the
resources.

 

BACK

 

 

Our
monthly newsletter now reaches over 4,000 subscribers each
month!
We encourage our Member Firms to
have their auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay
up to date with APSCA Happenings by clicking 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.

 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP

 

Share with my colleagues!

 

 

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 director@theapsca.org.

 

Questions?
Send them here.

 

 

 

 Connect with APSCA LinkedIn

Connect
with APSCA LinkedIn

 Connect with APSCA Twitter

Connect
with APSCA Twitter

YouTube

YouTube

 Visit our Website

Visit
our Website

 

BACK

Copyright © 2021 Association of
Professional Social Compliance Auditors, All rights reserved.

You are receiving this Newsletter as you subscribed via our
website.

Our
mailing address is:

Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors
1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 1000,
Washington, Washington DC 20006

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

APSCA Newsletter September 2021

30/09/2021 - No Comments

To enhance the professionalism and credibility of the individuals and organizations performing independent social compliance audits
View this email in your browser

 

 

APSCA Newsletter September 2021

Thank you to all who responded to our recent communications survey. Below we share the results and what we’re doing to enhance our communications. Great to hear that 87% of those responding found this newsletter to be their go-to tool to learn about APSCA and our services
 
Globally, we’re working to make more exam preparation material including, study guides available in different languages. Below you’ll see a handy chart showing our progress to serve our diverse audience.
 
Also in this issue:

  • Meet our new Membership Manager, Andrea Gilders.
  • You’ll read an update on Continuous Professional Development (CPD).
  • We say goodbye to a legend in our vocation.
  • And mark your calendar for the APSCA Annual General Meeting (AGM).

 
Thank you for your support of APSCA!

Further highlights are provided below.
 

 

In this this issue:

 

 

>> Share with a friend!
>> Contact Us

 

  Connect with APSCA LinkedIn

Connect with APSCA LinkedIn

 

  Connect with APSCA Twitter

Connect with APSCA Twitter

 

YouTube

YouTube

 

  Visit our Website

Visit our Website

   
We are pleased to announce that Andrea Gilders 
commenced as our Membership Manager this month.

Andrea’s background includes more than 20 years of supply chain management experience in the electronics manufacturing industry. A lifelong technology enthusiast, Andrea’s roles have included process and tools development, corporate governance, internal audit, vendor audit, operational supply chain, extensive supplier management, contracting and social and environmental compliance. 
 
She has a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) from Queens University in Canada and is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in Technical Writing from Algonquin College. Andrea is based in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada and speaks English and French.
 
We are excited to have Andrea on board to continue driving our member services and communications.

Webinars and Guidance Documents for Part I exam in 6 new languages.


 



APSCA Member Auditors at the RA/CSCA level are required to complete a minimum of 48 hours of CPD per calendar year, including mandatory training as outlined by APSCA. The details are  outlined in the CPD policy.
 
To support Member Auditors in completing their CPD, APSCA has been working to add courses to our data system. These fall into two categories:

  1. External (open to anyone)
  2. Internal (open to auditor associated with the specific firm offering the course)

There are over 30 pre-recognized courses.

  1. External: 14
  2. Internal: 19

 Coming Soon  – Ability to upload courses, Member Auditors have participated in, directly to their profile within the APSCA data system.
 
Visit our website to follow the latest CPD developments.
 

Audit firms and Training Providers may submit courses to APSCA for review and pre-recognition using the  Expression of Interest Form.

Any questions, please contact Director@theapsca.org

 

 

 

As a member organization, we are here to serve you. That means listening to your needs and, where possible, implementing your ideas.
 
We recently sent a survey out to our Members to better understand how they want to hear from us and improve our communications to our Members. We had a terrific response, with nearly 400 people completing the survey and 80% of respondents being APSCA Member Auditors. Thank you!
 
We want to share what we heard from the survey results with you as we prepare to refine our communications channels to meet your needs.
 
When it comes to APSCA communications tactics, the survey found that 87% of respondents found this newsletter to be a regular source of information. Not surprisingly, our website also scored favourably as a tool to stay informed about APSCA happenings. The most popular links on the site are the newsletter, Resource Library, Member Firm and Auditor pages, as well as the FAQ section.

While the survey focused on our communications tools, results captured comments about communications related to the exam and other specific issues. Areas of opportunity included:

  • Clearer communication about deadlines, guidelines, and exam expectations.
  • More materials for languages other than English.
  • More clarity on how exam scores are calculated.
  • The ability to see which questions were incorrect and other feedback.

In the coming weeks those sitting Part II will see enhancements to the feedback received in the exam report and we will be adding this to the Part III report in due course.
APSCA aims to increase the value and effectiveness of independent social compliance audits by enhancing the professionalism and credibility of individuals and organizations performing them. Communicating to you and others is an important way for us to accomplish our Mission.

Thank you for helping us improve and serve you better. Be sure to look out for future updates on how we’re using your feedback to improve APSCA.
 
To find out more of the survey results, including virtual events, frequency and variety of our communications, click this link!

The social compliance world is mourning the passing of John Ruggie, who led the development of the UN Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights. The Guiding Principles launched ten years ago and fundamentally enhanced the way many view the social compliance industry.
 
“Mr. Ruggie and his contributions have left an indelible mark and will be missed but never forgotten,” says Rona Starr, president and CEO of APSCA.
 
Ruggie was the Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and an affiliated professor in International Legal Studies at Harvard Law.
Trained as a political scientist, he made significant intellectual contributions to the study of international relations, focusing on the impact of economic and other forms of globalization on global rulemaking.

From 1997-2001,  Ruggie served as United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Planning, a post created specifically for him by then Secretary-General Kofi Annan. His areas of responsibility included assisting the Secretary-General in establishing and overseeing the UN Global Compact, now the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative, and proposing and gaining General Assembly approval for the Millennium Development Goals. Ruggie broadly contributed to the effort on institutional reform and renewal for which Annan and the United Nations were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.

In 2005, Annan appointed Ruggie as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Business and Human Rights, tasked with proposing measures to strengthen the human rights performance of the global business sector. In June 2011, the UN Human Rights Council, in an unprecedented step, unanimously endorsed the “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights” that Ruggie and his team developed through extensive consultations, pilot projects and research.

Core elements of the Guiding Principles have been adopted by other international standard-setting bodies, national governments, businesses and more.

John Ruggie will be missed; however through his efforts, there are many who will continue his work long into the future.

This year’s AGM will be held virtually over two days, to ensure the event is accessible to all time zones.
Meeting 1: November 10, 2021 – 7 pm (EST)
Meeting 2: November 11, 2021 – 8 am (EST)
The agenda and registration link will be communicated shortly.
As part of the registration process we will be looking to hear from you as to what topics you would like to hear.
In addition to the standing governance issues, we will hold breakout sessions on Ethics, Exam, CPD and Emerging Issues.  More about the agenda to follow – we look forward to your participation, all are welcome.

We have listened to feedback, and APSCA are taking their Member Auditor Card digital!   We will no longer be sending out hard copies of the Card, once auditors have successfully completed the CSCA Part III exam.  Instead, everyone will have a card which will update daily with Auditor Level and Status.
 
Within the next few weeks, ALL Member Auditors will be able to access their card from their knack profile, regardless of their Level and Status.
 
These digital cards can be used to verify APSCA Member Auditors at any Social Compliance Audit being conducted on-site, on behalf of a Member Firm. Along with several security features, the digital card will have a QR Code that enables the factory to confirm the Member Auditor and their details in our existing APSCA verification portal via our website (this has not changed).
 
This means no more waiting for the card to arrive in the mail, it will be available within 24 hours of an Auditors level and/or status changing and can be accessed with any smart-phone.
 
Our team is currently in the testing phase, and this new feature should be available in the coming weeks!
 

 REMINDERS – EXAMS 

 

 


 

 

 

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.

Should you have any questions or need clarification on the exam eligibility process, please contact us at Director@theapsca.org  

CSCA Exams & Languages:

  • Part I & II are available in ten languages (English, Simplified & Traditional Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Bangla, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese).
  • Part III is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese.

See our website, Resource Library for more information.

Auditor Enrollments
Total Number of Auditors: 4,499 (as of 29 September 2021)

Our total number of CSCA continue to grow with the Chinese language deadline passing and the looming deadline for those auditor advanced in either Spanish or English sitting Part III to sit no later than the end of October.


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 exam preparation 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 and they will be updated on an ongoing basis. 

Policies
APSCA’s latest policies and Guidance Documents are available. 

Visit our website to access the resources.

Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 4,000 subscribers each month! We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date with APSCA Happenings by clicking 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.

 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP

 

Share with my colleagues!

 

 

 

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 director@theapsca.org.

 

 

Questions? Send them here.

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