APSCA Newsletter July 2020

July 30, 2020

At the close of July, 2020 we are pleased to announce 31 new Auditors have successfully completed the CSCA examination program to attain Certified Social Compliance Auditor status in accordance with APSCA’s Competency Framework. This exciting development coincides with a new initiative targeting the expansion of the program to include six new language offerings.

Auditor enrollments increased during July to partially offset the 15% decrease observed during June and applications for continued membership were received from 97% of Member Firms that joined APSCA prior to January 2018.

Further highlights are provided below.

In this this issue:

Certified Social Compliance Auditors
2021 Exam Languages
Member Firm Applications
CSCA Exam Part II Webinars
CSCA Exam Part III Webinars
CSCA Examination Progress
Auditor Enrollments
Revised Due Dates for CSCA Exams
FAQS
APSCA Out and About

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Certified Social Compliance Auditors

Insights derived from the completion of a Part III CSCA exam pilot in October / November 2019 were used to further optimize the Part III exam format as the final component of the CSCA program. This supported the scheduling of (Part III) exams in May / June 2020, with 31 new Auditors successfully completing the program to obtain CSCA status.

Reflecting on the achievements of our new CSCA’s, APSCA’s President and CEO, Rona Starr commented “The introduction of our newest Certified Social Compliance Auditors reflects a 76% increase in total CSCA’s. In consideration of the rigors of the program this is a significant milestone and a wonderful achievement by these dedicated Auditors”.

2021 Exam Languages

As at July 2020, APSCA have over 4,000 enrolled Auditors with advanced competencies across 90 different languages. Accordingly, we are pleased to announce the expansion of the CSCA examination program throughout 2021 to include an additional six (6) language offerings.

At the launch of the program, initial language offerings were prioritized by review of Auditor profiles; indicating English, Chinese (Simplified or Traditional) and Spanish represented 80% of Member Auditors.

As exam participation across these four initial languages reaches steady state, Vietnamese, Thai, Portuguese, Italian, Turkish and Bengali will be added to the exam suite to enhance accessibility for some 1,000 eligible Auditors. After these six (6) languages we have over 40 additional languages to close the gap for the final 10% of our Member Auditors.

Translation of the documentation required to launch the exams has commenced and we will keep you posted with regards to 2021 launch dates as they become known.

Member Firm Applications

With the revision of APSCA’s Code and Standards of Professional Conduct and release of the enhanced membership application process, Member Firms that joined APSCA prior to January 2018 were required to reapply for continued membership by June 30, 2020.

On conclusion of the application period, we are pleased to report 34 Member Firms lodged applications with just one Firm relinquishing membership.

As at July 30, APSCA Firm Membership comprised 44 Provisional Members (of which 10 have completed the enhanced application process) and six (6) Full Members.

We look forward to sharing the ongoing progress of membership applications and welcoming further Full Member Firms in due course. Please visit our website for an updated list of Full and Provisional Member Firms.

CSCA Exam Part II Webinar

Throughout June and July, APSCA have held a number of webinars on Part II of the CSCA examination program. The informational sessions were attended by approximately 630 potential exam candidates. A recording of the webinar in both English and Spanish is available here. A number of additional resources, including an Exam Guide are also available via APSCA’s website.

APSCA will hold a further webinar in Mandarin on 31 July (China Time) and encourage those auditors who are eligible to sit Part II or would like to learn more about the exam to join us.

The webinar has been developed specifically for Chinese participants to optimize exam preparation and provide the greatest opportunity for success.

The webinar shares insights into the exam format, key differences between Part I and Part II and common errors. While ‘seats’ are limited a recording of the webinar will be provided along with an Exam Part II Guide to Success handout from the Newsletter page of APSCA’s Website early August.

For those interested in attending, registration is essential. Details of the live webinars in July are provided below:

When? July 31 ( 9:30am China)
Where? Online via GoToMeeting – You must register to join.

Dial-in details to be shared with registered attendees approximately 24-hours prior to webinar time.

Registration via the link below.

CSCA Exam Part III Webinars

Join APSCA as we provide an overview of the various elements of the CSCA Exam Part III. Developed for exam participants, the webinar will share insights into the exam format and assist participants with preparations to provide the best opportunity for success.

While numbers are limited we are pleased to advise a recording of the webinar will be provided for access via APSCA’s website.

For those interested in attending, registration is essential.

We are offering three (3) webinars during the week of August 24 to accommodate various time zones. We hope you can join us!

Dial-in details to be shared with registered attendees closer to webinar date. Registration and webinar info via the links below.

Note: A recording / translation of this webinar will also be made available in Spanish and Mandarin to be posted to the website, once available.

CSCA Examination Progress

During July examination rates remained strong with an additional 400 exams taking the total number of exams administered to date to over 4,800. A summary of cumulative exam results can be downloaded below.

For all CSCA Exams (Part 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 to sit an exam. Failure to follow the guidance, may see the exam disallowed and being excluded from exam eligibility for a period of 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 will commence in August. Exams will be available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese. The scheduling process has been finalized and we have started the process of contacting Firms / Auditors directly. The Part III enrollment process is very different and each eligible Auditor MUST follow the process or risk having their exam cancelled and being disallowed from scheduling for up to 12 months.

Auditor Enrollments

A 7% increase in the total number of enrolled Auditors during July partially offset the decrease observed in June where a significant number of Auditors were relegated to inactive status due to:

a failure to provide APSCA with consent to maintain their data; and or
a failure to request their 2020 Membership fee invoice

As at 31 July 2020, total enrolled Auditors exceeded 4,050 with a summary by Auditor level provided below.

Reminder of Upcoming Deadlines: As part of APSCA’s ongoing commitment to achieving our Mission of enhancing the professionalism and credibility of the industry, we have established deadlines to ensure that our Members operate in a level playing field, and have clear deadlines in which to sit exams to maintain their RA status.

Part I: Auditors who became RA Level 1st of November 2019 onward and are advanced in one of the 4 languages that the Part I exam is offered in, have 6 months to sit Part I from the date they became RA. Failing to meet this expectation will see their level moved to ASCA.

Part II: Auditors who are advanced in Chinese (Simplified or Traditional) and have completed Part I June 30 or prior, must complete Part II by the end of September 2020. If Part I was completed after this date, the Auditor has 3 months from the date notified of the pass to complete Part II.

For other languages see “Reminder Exam Due Dates” below.

The above is based on Auditors being advanced in one of the written languages which we offer the exam.

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 just obtaining their RA level status, you have 6 months from the date that you obtained RA to sit Part I exam if you are advanced in a language the exam is offered.

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.

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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