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
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.
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CSCA Exam Part III Webinars
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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.
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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 III
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 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 .
