Newsletter & Press Releases

APSCA Newsletter January 2021

28/01/2021 - No Comments

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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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.


View 2020 AGM/Stakeholder event

 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.


DOWNLOAD CSCA Exam Results Snapshot

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. 


Visit Apsca’s resource library

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.


View 2020 AGM / Stakeholder Event

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 director@theapsca.org.

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APSCA Newsletter November-December 2020

21/12/2020 - No Comments

The 2020 online AGM and Stakeholder Events offered an opportunity to reflect on the year’s achievements. Despite immense uncertainty within the industry, we were encouraged by the sustained commitment to the CSCA program with a total of 2,356 Auditors participating in exams (Parts I, II, and III) during 2020. Exam performance remains strong; since the program commenced a total of 4,347 exams have received a passing score, comprising a breakdown of 63% Part I, 34% Part II and 3% Part III.

Significantly, total CSCA Auditors reached 139 during December.

APSCA’s Membership now includes over 4,200 Member Auditors and 53 Member Firms, of which 22 Member Firms successfully completed the process of obtaining ‘full membership’ status in 2020 through APSCA’s enhanced re-application process. We were also pleased to welcome 10 new Member Firms during 2020.
Looking toward the new year, we have outlined a series of initiatives across the five pillars of our strategic plan to continue to drive the momentum of our collective mission – Facing the Future, Together.

In this this issue:

  • Member Firm Announcements
  • Annual General Meeting and Stakeholder Online Event
  • CSCA Examination Progress
  • Auditor Enrollments
  • Reminder: Resource Library
  • Ethics and Integrity – Updates
  • Thank You and Happy Holidays
  • FAQs
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Member Firm Announcements

We are pleased to congratulate full APSCA Member Firms Bureau Veritas SA, Intertek Group plc, Openview Service Limited, Social Compliance Service Asia Ltd (SCSA), Sustainable Assurance Solutions Pty Ltd (SAS) and Extensive Standard Technical Services Co., Ltd. (ESTS) 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:

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

APSCA’s Annual General Meeting and Stakeholder Online 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.


View 2020 AGM/Stakeholder event

Any questions, please contact: director@theapsca.org

CSCA Examination Progress

During November and December, examination rates maintained momentum with the total number of completed exams exceeding 5,900. Exam performance remained strong with improvement in Part III results contributing to an overall pass rate of 71% for the the year and a cumulative average of 74%.

A summary of cumulative exam results can be downloaded below.


DOWNLOAD CSCA Exam Results Snapshot

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.  The Part III enrolment process is very different; each eligible Auditor MUST follow the process or risk having their exam cancelled and being disallowed from scheduling for up to 12 months.

Please see our website, Resource Library for more information

Auditor Enrollments

As at 15 December 2020, total enrolled Auditors exceeded 4,300 with a summary by Auditor level provided below.

Reminder – Resource Library

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


Visit Apsca’s resource library

Ethics & Intergrity – Updates

Our goal at APSCA is to continuously improve.  We are pleased to announce our recent improvements to the ethics and integrity program which includes the Disciplinary Framework, Procedures and Ethics and Integrity Guidance for Member Firms.  These documents are available on the Ethics and Integrity page of the APSCA website for easy reference and to provide more clarity and transparency about the rules and requirements of APCSA’s Disciplinary Process.

To learn more, please watch our video on the latest updates on ethics and integrity from our Code and Compliance Manager provided as part of our AGM and Stakeholder event pre-watch materials.


LEARN About APSCA’s disciplinary process

Additional videos from our AGM and Stakeholder Events held online in December include updates on APSCA exams, membership achievements, strategy, and more. To view all videos, visit the event page HERE.

Member Auditors – Due December: 2020 Membership Fees

Due to COVID, APSCA provided an option to delay payment of Member Auditor fees for 2020 to support our Members during this difficult time.  Many Members have been able to pay throughout the year and we thank you.  For those that have not yet paid these fees, a reminder that membership fees for the 2020 calendar year are due and payable no later than the end of December.

For more on updates to our membership status criteria and definitions, please see visit our APSCA Member Auditors page.

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

Thank You, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

On behalf of everyone at APSCA and our Executive Board, we extend our very best wishes for this Holiday Season, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

APSCA Executive Board (Left to right, top to bottom): Rona Starr, Rajan Kamalanathan, Mark Spears, Avedis H Seferian, Justin Bettey, Effie Marinos, Greg Gardner, Randy Rankin, Frank Dorssers, Brendan Morrissey.

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.

APSCA Newsletter October 2020

30/10/2020 - No Comments

During October examination rates sustained momentum with total exams now exceeding 5,600 at an overall pass rate of 75%. As Member Auditors advance through the examination program, the number of CSCA’s continues to grow; now representing some 2% of enrolled auditors. 

Targeting continued expansion of the program and improved language accessibility, activities during October have also included translation of APSCA’s key resources into an additional six languages; versions currently available include English, Italian, Spanish and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional). 

Further updates regarding the release of other new language translations will be provided in the coming months.

In this this issue:

  • Member Firm Announcements
  • Disciplinary Board Results
  • APSCA’s AGM and Stakeholder Online Event Registration
  • CSCA Examination Progress
  • Member Auditors – 2020 Membership Fees
  • Auditor Enrollments
  • Reminder: Revised Due Dates for CSCA Exams
  • Resource Library
  • FAQs
  • APSCA Out and About
 
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Member Firm Announcements

We are pleased to congratulate full APSCA Member Firm, ALGI, along with our newest provisional Member Firm Sustainable Assurance Solutions (SAS) 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

Disciplinary Board Results – Allegations and Sanctions

APSCA Member Auditors
APSCA’s Disciplinary Board for Member Auditors (DBMA) met in October to review four cases representing three different Code violations including: False Audit Reporting, Bribery, and Conflict of Interest.

The Disciplinary Board substantiated the allegations in two cases, and the resulting sanctions included a Written Warning for the False Audit Reporting allegation and a Revocation of APSCA Membership for the Bribery allegation.  The other two cases required additional information, and have been held over to the next DBMA meeting in November.  

For the first time, the DBMA meeting included auditors subject to allegations, who exercised their right to appear before the Disciplinary Board.  Each auditor presented a brief overview of their case, and then responded to Board Member questions

Facing the future – Together

APSCA’s Annual General Meeting and Stakeholder Online Event
Register and Join Us!
This year APSCA will be hosting its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Stakeholder Event online in early December. To accommodate our global membership, these separate events will be repeated at different times as detailed on our website.

AGM Registration
Please note the repeated sessions for the AGM will present the same content and registration for one session only is recommended.


Click Here to Register

Stakeholder Event Registration
Please note the repeated sessions for the Stakeholder Event will present the same content and registration for one session only is recommended.


Click Here to Register

We hope you can join us!

Additional event details and information to follow in the weeks leading up to the AGM and Stakeholder Events. Any questions, please contact: director@theapsca.org

CSCA Exam Webinars

During October, examination rates remained strong with the total number of completed exams now exceeding 5,600 with an overall pass rate of 75%. A summary of cumulative exam results can be downloaded below.


CSCA Exam Results Snapshot

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.  The Part III enrolment process is very different; each eligible Auditor MUST follow the process or risk having their exam cancelled and being disallowed from scheduling for up to 12 months.

Please see our website, Resource Library for more information

Auditor Enrollments

As at 29 October 2020, total enrolled Auditors exceeded 4,200 with a summary by Auditor level provided below:

Reminder: Revised Due Dates for CSCA Exams

Due to COVID-19 and the enduring challenges faced by our auditing community, APSCA has reviewed and revised exam due dates for auditors sitting Part II and III exams. 

The dates (below) are applicable to any Auditor who successfully passed Part I 90+ days prior to the Part II deadline or successfully completed Part II 90+ days prior to the Part III deadline.

If an Auditor is unsure whether this applies to them please contact APSCA via director@theapsca.org.

2020 – 2021
Part II

  • 30 September 2020
    • Chinese (Traditional/ Simplified)
  • 30 March 2021
    • English / Spanish (amended from September 2020)

Part III

  • 30 June 2021
    • Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese amended from December 2020)
  • 30 October 2021
    • English / Spanish (amended from June 2021)

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 you are 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 English, Spanish, and Chinese.

See also our Resource Library under “Key Dates” for other due dates.

Member Auditors –  2020 Membership Fees Due by December   

Due to COVID, APSCA provided an option to delay payment of Member Auditor fees for 2020 to support our Members during this difficult time.  Many Members have been able to pay this throughout the year and we thank you.  For those that have not yet paid these fees, a reminder that membership fees for the 2020 calendar year are due and payable no later than the end of December. Members who fail to issue payment will see their account status moved to ‘lapsed’ ahead of 2021 and will remain there until both 2020 and 2021 fees have been paid in full.  During this period, Members are not eligible to to use their APSCA Member Number or claim active membership with APSCA until their account is brought back to good standing. 

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

In Case You Missed It – APSCA’s 5 Year Anniversary 

September marked five years since APSCA’s inception, we invite you to download a brief review of our achievements to date via the link below.


Download APSCA’s 5 Year Anniversary Review

Resource Library

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

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 director@theapsca.org.

APSCA Out and About

Please note that due to the global impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, APSCA have postponed or cancelled all travel. Updates on any future travel will be provided as soon as practicable. Please visit our Out and About page for updates from some of our Member Firms on what they are doing to support the industry during this time.

In seeking to further support our Members, we also welcome you to tell us how your organization and auditors are navigating today’s dynamic work environment.  It is our intention to share these insights across our media channels to foster industry collaboration and unite our community during this difficult period. Please send responses to director@theapsca.org.

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