Increasing auditor enrolments during July provided exciting insight into the diversity of APSCA’s Membership, representing 62 different countries and 48 different languages. 

The significance of this reach and potential accessibility reflects a substantial opportunity to contribute to the improvement of workplace conditions throughout global supply chains. It is encouraging of our mission; to increase the value and effectiveness of independent social compliance audits by enhancing the professionalism, consistency and credibility of individuals and organisations performing them.

Auditor Enrolments
During July, Auditor enrolments increased substantially with over 2,600 Auditors now fully enrolled.

APSCA have also developed an online facility for the validation of Member Auditor credentials. The facility will be available via our website and is scheduled for release by Q4, 2018. This facility will allow public validation of an Auditor’s Level, Membership Number and Status and Identity (via a photograph) by input of the Auditor’s surname and APSCA Membership Number.  It will not provide a list of APSCA Member Auditors but allows the validation of individual Auditors.    

The online facility will form a notable resource for audit clientele and will further foster confidence in the credibility of our growing industry.

We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditor’s 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!

APSCA CSCA Exam
Of the 2,600+ Auditors who have completed their online enrolment, 75% are ready to start the CSCA exam process and have been assigned the ‘Registered’ auditor level. These auditors are located in 62 different countries with advanced written language competency across 48 different languages.

As we prepare to start the written exams, we have identified that 95% of the auditors are covered by 11 languages with the remaining 5% representing 37 different languages. Ten languages were notably represented by a single auditor.

We are currently finalising the exam format and are completing a workplace assessment of the organisation identified to facilitate the exam process. 

The CSCA exam is on track for launch during Q4, 2018.

Account Administration
Auditor accounts and related Memberships are recorded independent of Member Firms. As such, an individual auditor’s account details and membership number stays with them wherever they work. 

Apart from adding or removing connection to a firm, account changes will only be accepted by notification from the Auditor. To this end, Auditors are reminded to keep their account details up-to-date with any changes to be emailed to the APSCA Data Administrator at data.administrator@theapsca.org.  It is recommended, Auditors provide an alternate (personal) email address in their profile by emailing data.administrator@theapsca.org if they have not already done so.  

Firms are encouraged to incorporate confirmation of ASPCA Auditor Membership during their onboarding processes to facilitate Auditor linking. Equivalently, firms should also develop an offboarding process to ensure severance of connections within the APSCA database as required. Member Firms should notify the Data Administrator of any changes to member connections via data.administrator@theapsca.org.

These measures are necessary to support the integrity of the information within the APSCA data system. This will allow accurate review of:  

• Auditor examinations and results
• Any allegations or confirmed breaches of adherence to APSCA’s Code of Professional Conduct
• Status of membership fees 

My Auditors App
The APSCA My Auditors App has been released providing Member Firms with the ability to view their Auditors’ information and assigned auditor level. Member Firms are now requesting, if required, auditor level re-assessments via the APSCA review of auditor logs. This is in preparation for the CSCA exam which is expected for launch in Q4, 2018.

Member Firm Application Process Pilot
APSCA Membership engenders a commitment to continuously enhance the professionalism and credibility of the social compliance industry in accordance with the principles of our Code of Professional Conduct.

Respective of this commitment, APSCA have been focused on the development of an application process which will reinforce the values and professional integrity to which all APSCA Members have been endorsed and will continue to be held accountable.

A pilot application process is under evaluation with a further update to be provided in the August Newsletter.

CSR Asia Summit in Hong Kong | 18 – 19 September 2018

CSR Asia, an ELEVATE company, hosts CSR Asia Summit in Hong Kong this September. For the 12th year running, CSR Asia Summit is Asia’s leading event for bringing together key stakeholders to share knowledge and best practice in sustainability. This year’s programme explores how transparency, integrity and impact can be applied across sustainability initiatives within business, communities and supply chains to enable growth and drive performance. The Summit is expected to attract 500 delegates from 30 countries. 

In 2018, we are including a full track across the two-day Summit to address the responsible sourcing and supply chain management expertise of The ELEVATE Leadership Series – Hong Kong. 

Our President and CEO Rona Starr joins ELEVATE CEO Ian Spaulding for a key supply chain session, Global Trends in Responsible Sourcing 2018. In addition, APSCA Executive Board member and ELEVATE SVP, Dr. Kevin Franklin, will conduct responsible sourcing introductory training during pre-Summit training sessions on 17 September. 

Register soon – the early bird discount ends on 26 July! 

Auditor enrolments continued to grow with advancement of APSCA’s supporting processes including release of the My Auditors App. APSCA Director, Systems Management, Julie Shaw commented “The release of APSCA’s My Auditors App will enhance efficiencies of auditor administration for Member Firms. The app provides access to APSCA auditor accreditation; promoting professional development under APSCA’s Competency Framework”.

APSCA Ethics & Integrity Program
Pursuant to our Strategy released earlier this year, the development of a credible and efficient Ethics and Integrity Program consistent with APSCA’s Code of Professional Conduct, has been a key priority. The development work for this important initiative commenced under the guidance of our Senior Advisor Tim Lindon and an external consultant.  In summary, our Ethics and Integrity Program will comprise four facets:
 
      1.    education, guidance and support to auditors and the industry; 
      2.    enforcement, investigation and sanction process of individual members; 
      3.    admission and sanctioning process for member firms; and 
      4.    internal APSCA compliance program.  

Each will further establish APSCA’s function as a professional membership body and enhance Member credibility respective of our core mission.

 
Auditor Enrolments
Auditor enrolments continue to grow.  We currently have over 2,100 auditors who have fully completed their enrolment process and have received their APSCA Member number. As part of the enrolment process, APSCA has reviewed and assigned auditor levels as per the Competency Framework.  Auditors are assessed as being either:

• Associate Social Compliance Auditor (ASCA)
• Registered Auditor (ready to sit the Certified Social Compliance Auditor (CSCA) Exam

Note:  Closing date for auditors to be enrolled in our system in order to participate in the initial round of the CSCA exam is 31 July 2018.

We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditor’s 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!
 
My Auditors App
As per APSCA’s May Newsletter, we have initiated the roll-out of the My Auditors App to designated Senior Managers of Member Firms.  This will enable Member Firms to view the information for all auditors associated with their firm who are either employed, subcontractor or freelance auditors and who have completed the on-line auditor registration process.    Member Firms are also able to view the assigned APSCA Auditor Level for each of their auditors.  Firms may also request a reassessment of an auditor’s level via the second pathway documented in the Competency Framework.  

Note:  Reassessment of levels is required to be completed as soon as possible to prepare for the initial round of the CSCA exam.

Please note that APSCA Member Firms are receiving the Auditors Membership number and Levels of their auditors via the release of the My Auditors App, they will be in a position to start sharing this information with you in the coming weeks, please liaise directly with your audit firm for this information.

 My Auditors App is being released over the next couple of months to designated Senior Managers of Member Firms. 

Member Firm Approval Process
As communicated earlier, the approval process for firm membership to APSCA is currently being reviewed and is on schedule to be released in Q3, 2018.  Once approved, pending applications, new applicants and current provisional members will be reviewed under this new process.

Combined Stakeholder & Executive Board Meeting | 4 – 6 June 2018
The Stakeholder & Executive Boards met both individually and jointly, hosted by WRAP in their offices in Arlington Virginia earlier this month to discuss the strategic direction of APSCA and to provide feedback and guidance. 

We had great attendance by our Stakeholder and Executive Boards with many participating via the teleconference.

From Bottom Left Clockwise:  Greg Gardner, Wesley Wilson, Randy Rankin, Rochelle Zaid, Jill Manata, Tim Lindon, Brendan Morrissey, Dan Murray, Pierre-Yves Dupont, Antonio Astone, Fred Waelter, Avedis Seferian. Not pictured but present at meeting:  Rona Starr, Laura Rubbo, Bernardo Cruza, Jonathan Ivelaw-Chapman and Andrew Martin. ​

Unleash Opportunity amfori Conference
Our President & CEO Rona Starr joined an insightful panel on defining and delivering audit integrity during the amfori – Trade with Purpose Unleash Opportunity Conference. Together with Richard Boele (KPMG), Andrew Leatuali’i Savini (Member Firm ELEVATE Global) and Christophe Liebon (Member Firm Intertek), the panel explored the challenges and opportunities faced by our growing industry. Under the guidance of moderator Federico Burlon (Impactt), panel members considered the need for increased transparency and reduction of audit fatigue through technological innovation.

From left:  Andrew Savini (ELEVATE Global), Rona Starr (APSCA), Richard Boele (KPMG), Christophe Liebon (Intertek) and Federico Burlon (Impactt).

Meetings on Capital Hill Washington DC
On 31 May APSCA and RBA, with the support from Paul Delaney from Kyle House, met with 9 people from various US government organisations, namely Department of State, Department of Trade, Department of Labour as well as the Democratic Ways and Means.   These discussions were very productive and we all learned a lot throughout our time together.

Our approach with each agency was very similar:

• brief history of APSCA, why we formed, how we have grown,
• brief history of the Social Compliance industry,
• our plan for implementing the certification process and the 2 pilots that have occurred,
• Kyle House presented APSCA as industry experts who they could come to as support in their work in the social compliance space.

We look forward to continuing these ongoing discussions throughout the year.

During May, APSCA continued preparations for the implementation of the Certified Social Compliance Auditor (CSCA) examination. Through the CSCA program, APSCA aims to promote the role of the social compliance auditor and develop a workforce of committed, competent, experienced and ethical professionals. 

Enactment of the examination process reflects APSCA’s transition from a development to operational phase. 

Auditor Registrations
We are pleased to announce auditor registration advanced during May with 20 member firms having completed their registrations and many more in progress.  At this time 1,500+ auditors have completed their on-line registration.

We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditor’s subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date. ​

APSCA Members – Status Assessment
All Member Firms were recently contacted to advise that their membership status is currently being assessed against the following criteria in readiness for the implementation of the Certified Social Compliance Auditor (CSCA) exam and to prepare for APSCA’s 3rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for December.

All Audit Firms must be in Good Standing with APSCA to:

• Register auditors to sit any part of the CSCA exam
• Nominate to run for a seat on the Executive Board at the AGM 
• Vote for Executive Board Representative 

Definition of In Good Standing:
Audit Firm

• 2018 Audit Firm Membership Fees paid.
• All documentation signed and returned:
  • Confidentiality Framework Agreement (including Contractual Clauses)
  • Code of Professional Conduct 
• Auditor information submitted to APSCA and Auditors commenced on-line registration.

Auditor

• Completed on-line registration.
• Auditor Registration Fee Paid (either by firm or individual auditor). 

Annual General Meeting
The date for audit firms to be in Good Standing for the AGM is 31 August 2018.
On 1 September, we will review the number of fully registered, employed auditors per member firm to determine Membership Category (e.g. A, B or C). All changes in Membership Category from 2018 level will be communicated to the audit firm. We will commence the AGM lead up process during the month of September based on audit firm categories as at 31 August 2018.

CSCA Examinations
We are preparing for the rollout of the CSCA Exam (Part 1 – Multiple ChoiceShort Answer) which is anticipated to begin in September.

Auditor information is being reviewed for all auditors who have completed their on-line registration, including their fees paid and assigning one of the two APSCA Auditor Levels:

• Registered, which is eligible to sit the CSCA Exam
• Associate (ASCA)

Please refer to the Competency Framework and Code of Professional Conduct for further details: 

Only those auditors who have the level of Registered AND are in Good Standing, will be eligible to sit the CSCA Exam. Please note the anticipated closing date for this will be 31 July 2018.

My Auditors App
APSCA are continuing to enhance Member benefits with the My Auditors App initiative targeting improved visibility of auditor registration and accreditation under the APSCA certification program. The app will be available to Member Firms whom have completed their on-line registrations. APSCA will contact these organisations directly to grant approved personnel access to the My Auditors App. This will allow Member Firms to see their auditors who have registered and assigned auditor level with APSCA.

Note:  Further assessment of an auditor’s level may be required pending Member Firm review.  

Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Annual General Meeting
APSCA participated in the ASI Annual General Meeting which took place in Perth, Australia on 24 May 2018. This was a great opportunity to reinforce the relationship between ASI and APSCA.

“APSCA’s participation in the 2018 AGM Week helped raise understanding of APSCA’s work with our company and civil society members.  In a multi-stakeholder discussion about human rights challenges and opportunities, Rona Starr (APSCA President & CEO) described how APSCA is taking practical steps to enhance the professionalism and credibility of the social compliance industry.  In facing global human rights challenges relating to corruption, gender, labour rights, and the rights of Indigenous peoples, social compliance auditors can play a critical role alongside company culture and the willingness to learn and improve.  ASI appreciates the work of both APSCA and its members and is committed to supporting APSCA’s progress.” said Dr Fiona Solomon, ASI CEO.

ASI bauxite mine site visit. Photo credit:  Mark Wielga, NomoGaia

Auditor Certification Pilot
We are investigating the use of Third-Party Proctoring to execute the Multiple Choice Short Answer and Case Study examinations which are to be conducted on-line.  This will enable an efficient and cost-effective roll-out of the APSCA CSCA Examination.
Once a proctoring organisation has been selected a pilot will take place, with a view to roll-out of the examinations in Q3 2018.

Unleash Opportunity – Amsterdam, 13 June 2018
Unleash Opportunity is the leading conference dedicated to sustainable trade across Europe. Inspirational sessions on future global trends will meet practical workshops, the conference will provide tools to improve your daily supply chain operations and keep your business at the forefront of sustainable trade. 
 
Where: The Passenger Terminal, Amsterdam
When: 13 June 2018 

Featuring more than 20 breakout sessions, we will tackle a range of relevant issues including Chinese environmental regulations, engaging your suppliers towards maximum impact, the next industrial revolution ESG reporting, and more. 

Join these ground-breaking discussions, innovative solutions and cutting-edge tools to inspire you and keep you at the forefront of sustainable trade. ​

2018 Annual General Meeting4 December 2018, 1.00pm – 4.00pm | Hong Kong
While we will endeavor to accommodate all interested parties, seats will be limited necessitating an allocation for individual organizations.  Further details, including registration information, will be provided to members in due course. ​

Out & About
Sedex and Australia Post Conference – 14 March 2018 – Melbourne, Australia
​One of our Member Firms, DQS,  Arta Beikzadah, was on a panel titled:  “How do we simplify responsible sourcing for small business in Australia”.  Arta introduced the 3 E’s.  Encouraging, Educating  and Expecting suppliers and employees.

During April, APSCA continued to leverage a productive March quarter through focused development of an improved Member Application and Auditor Certification Process. The Association also actioned development of an Ethics and Integrity Program with the appointment of an Ethics & Integrity Advisor.

The Association’s President & CEO, Rona Starr commented “Rationalization of our administrative function is critical to the preservation and promotion of our core mission; to enhance the professionalism, consistency and credibility of social compliance auditors. Q1 2018 delivered substantial advancement across the five pillars of our Strategic Plan and will continue to foster industry confidence to better service our Members”.

Auditor Registrations

We are enrolling auditors associated with APSCA Member Firms who are now completing their registration online in APSCA’s data system.  Of our 40 member firms, 13 have completed their auditor registrations representing over 900 auditors. Over 2,500 auditors are scheduled to be fully registered by the end of May 2018.

We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditor’s subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date here. 

Auditor Certification
Last month we shared our progress on Auditor Certification.  We are incorporating the learnings from the China Pilot and working with third party experts to finalize an examination process which is scalable and cost efficient for all.  This requires development of the following:

• Multiple ChoiceShort Answers Exam
  • Working with a third party to convert many short answer questions into multiple choice questions, determining the pass mark and developing a study guide.
• Case Study Exam
  • Further refine the Case Study Exam by reviewing the questions and finalize the on-line platform to track results.
• Interview
  • Refinement of the overarching Case Study and individual scenarios used throughout the face to face interview process, further refine the scoring and the on-line platform to track results.

Applications – Firm Membership
The Executive Board has prioritized development of an enhanced application process for Member Firms effecting a temporary hold on the processing of new member applications until the process has been finalized. 

APSCA Membership has always been accepted on a provisional basis with all member firms required to re-apply following launch of the improved application process.

The new process is expected for release in Q3 2018, following which APSCA will contact all provisional members and pending membership applicants to initiate the revised process.

APSCA Stakeholder Board Developments
Additional to the Executive Board, APSCA is serviced by a dedicated, multi-stakeholder Board with independent, brand, retail and initiative representation. The Stakeholder Board shares three members with the Executive Board and has provided almost three years of support and guidance.  

During April, Mr Jan Furstenborg, announced his retirement from the Stakeholder Board following much thought and deliberation. Mr Furstenborg was ASPCA’s first independent Stakeholder Board member and instrumental in the development of the Competency Framework and Code of Professional Conduct.

Mr Furstenborg has offered to provide ongoing guidance to APSCA on an ad-hoc basis as we continue our growth and development.  We wish Jan the best in his retirement and thank him for his gracious support and willingness to advise APSCA in an ongoing, albeit unofficial capacity. APSCA is pleased to announce that Mr Wesley Wilson has taken the position recently vacated by Mr Furstenborg.

With Mr Darrell Doren stepping down earlier this year and the movement of Mr Wesley Wilson to the role of independent, the Stakeholder Board are pleased to welcome Mr Christian Ewert and Ms Jan Saumweber to the Stakeholder Board with immediate effect.  Mr Ewert is the Director General of amfori, a leading global business association for open and sustainable trade and Ms Saumweber is the SVP Responsible Sourcing for Walmart. To read more about Mr Ewert and Ms Saumweber  click here.

APSCA would like to thank both Jan Furstenborg and Darrell Doren for their years of contribution to the Stakeholder Board and welcome Christian Ewert and Jan Saumweber. ​

Ethics & Integrity Advisor
The process to develop an Ethics & Integrity Program was agreed during the Executive Board meeting this past March.  Tim Lindon has been brought on by APSCA to lead this work and joined as a Senior Advisor. ​

Mr Lindon is a Senior Fellow at the New York University School of Law Program on Compliance and Enforcement, and formerly Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Philip Morris International.  

According to Mr Lindon, this will include the handling of allegations where APSCA members (firms and auditors) have alleged to have violated APSCA’s Code of Professional Conduct adding “APSCA will implement an ethics and integrity program that is transparent, credible, efficient and workable”.

2018 Annual General Meeting
4 December 2018, 1.00pm – 4.00pm | Hong Kong
 While we will endeavor to accommodate all interested parties, seats will be limited necessitating an allocation for individual organizations.  Further details, including registration information, will be provided in due course. ​

New APSCA Website

APSCA has commenced revision of our website with a view to improve accessibility and member service.  We request your patience while these changes take effect and welcome all input pre and post release.

Out & About
APSCA was recently represented at a series of events including the ELEVATE Leadership Series (22 March 2018 – Sydney, Australia) and the Sedex Conference – Impact Through Leadership (13 & 14 March 2018, London). During the latter, Rona Starr (President & CEO APSCA) participated on the panel ‘Whose responsibility is it to go ‘beyond compliance’?‘. The discussion shared insight into the attainment of social compliance and considered responsibilities for the assurance of sustained compliance ‘beyond the audit’. Panellists also included Jill Tucker (C&A Foundation), Baptiste Carrier-Pradal (Sustainable Apparel Coalition) and Dr Simon Lord (Sime Darby). The full discussion can be viewed via the link below.

Auditor Certification Pilot – China

The 2nd Auditor Certification pilot took place in Shenzhen, China on 7 & 8 March.
We had 48 auditors representing 29 Member Firms over the two days with auditors having a range of experience from just starting in the social compliance industry to 20+ years’ experience.  They all completed the following assessments:

1. Multiple ChoiceShort Answer.
2. Case Study.
3. 3 x Simulated Interviews.

Overall, we received great feedback from the auditors as they were willing to help improve the process.  Day 1 auditors found it challenging to be without their phones all day, however, day 2 auditors were more accepting of the “no phone” rule and came with a great attitude. 
 
Some of the suggestions received:

• Reduce redundancy of some of the online multiple choice short answer questions.
• For Short Answer and Interview format, try to offer guidance on expectations.
• For online exam, group the questions that are similar types: multiple choice / select all that  Apply, short answer.
• Chinese translation should incorporate more technical terms, even including English where appropriate (for example “root cause analysis”). 
• Prefer multiple case studies to test issue identification, rather than in one large case study.       
• Auditors want to complete the exam, which require fewer questions or longer exam time. 
• Interview: allocate briefing and planning time prior to conducting mock interview.
• Provide guidance on how interviews are evaluated.
• Provide better context for the interview and expected outcomes.

Two debrief sessions were held with management of the Member Firms participating in the pilot; one in Shenzhen and one in Hong Kong, which enabled open discussions about the process and where improvements will be made.

All the feedback and exam results are now being collated and further refinement will be made in the coming months.

Thank you to all the auditors for their participation in this important milestone!

Please see our “Certification Pilot” page on our website for more photos of the event:  http://www.theapsca.org/certification-pilot.html

Examiners Invigilators:
Top Left:  Julie Shaw (APSCA), Joe He (Disney), Brian Hui (WRAP), CK Wong (DNV), Glen Si (BV),
​Eric Leung (Hallmark).
​Bottom Left:  Kara Chan (Independent), Snow Sun (Walmart), David Han (LL Bean), Kelvin Ho (Arche Advisors), Tara Holeman (Ethos Matters), Rona Starr (APSCA).

APSCA Auditor Certification Exam
On Thursday 22 March a group of APSCA stakeholders met with Third Party experts on exam preparation, HumRRo, to review the exam questions and results from the recent Auditor Certification Pilot in China .  During this meeting APSCA worked with experts who provided training and guidance on how to enhance the multiple choice/ short answer questions before breaking into 3 groups to work on improving the questions based on recommendations from HumRRo.  We continue to make progress towards our final goal to implement the exam and certifying social compliance auditors.

Sedex Conference – London
​APSCA participated in the recent Sedex Conference in London on 13 & 14 March 2018.  APSCA had a booth at the conference which gave us the opportunity to connect with many of our members who were in attendance, and to meet with others in the industry, providing an update on our progress. 

Rona Starr (APSCA PresidentCEO) and Avedis Seferian (WRAP PresidentCEO and APSCA Executive Board Chair).
(Photo Credit: Stephen D Lawrence Photography) 

 APSCA Executive Board Meeting
​The APSCA Executive Board met in London on 15 & 16 March 2018.

The agenda was extensive and focussed on progress to our strategy – a few highlights were:  debrief on the examination pilot which took place in China the week before, how the registration of auditors was progressing; we have approx. 2500 auditors in our system going through the validation process.  We discussed recommendations for ethics & integrity protocol as well as had a presentation from a recent marketing and communication review.

It was great to have our full Board present for the full 2 day meeting.

From Top Left:  Rona Starr (APSCA PresidentCEO), Avedis Seferian (APSCA Executive Chair), Greg Gardner (Arche Advisors), Petra Herbertz-Crumpler (Walmart), Kevin Franklin (ELEVATE), Rajan Kamalanathan (Bureau Veritas), Frank Dorssers (TÜV Rheinland), Christophe Liebon (Intertek), Fred Waelter (UL), Pierre-Yves Dupont (SGS). 
(Not pictured but also in attendance:  Wesley Wilson (Independent),
Antonio Astone (DNV-GL), Randy Rankin (Independent).

ELEVATE Conference – Sydney
ELEVATE Leadership Series 2018 took place in Sydney on 22 March 2018 which provided the latest progress on the rollout of the Modern Slavery Act in Australia and importantly to equip business to tackle the problem.

APSCA participated on a panel session:  Transparency, Trust and Impact – Partnership Approach to Responsible Supply Chains.  This was an opportunity to share APSCA’s Mission and progress to our strategy. ​

APSCA Support StatementOrganizations providing support via the APSCA Support Statement  (that was launched last year) continues to grow.  These organizations have provided their permission to use their name / logo which you can view on our website:

http://www.theapsca.org/support-statement.html

If you would like to offer your support and have your organization’s name/ logo placed on our website, please let us know by contacting director@theapsca.org.

Out & About
Check out our “Out & About” page for photos from the great events our Members have been part of:   http://www.theapsca.org/out–about.html

Stay Up-To-Date
Visit our website www.theapsca.org to see the work-in-progress and follow us on LinkedIn.

Auditor Certification Pilot – China
The dates for our second Auditor Certification Pilot have been confirmed as 7 & 8 March 2018 in Shenzhen, China.  The pilot will have 48 participants, 24 each day, representing 29 Member Firms.  Upon arrival the participants will be allocated a number and divided into 3 groups, with each group rotating throughout the day to complete the following exams:

1.  Multiple Choice & Short Answer.
2.  Case Studies.
3.  Simulated Interviews.

The simulated interviews will be based on the following scenarios:

1.  Opening Meeting.
2.  Closing Meeting.
3.  Employee Interview.

Following the China pilot, we will be meeting with third party experts to incorporate additional learnings and determine the pass score in preparation for implementation later in 2018.  There are still a number of steps to achieve before we go live – but exciting progress continues!

Look out for our next Newsletter as we share the results of our 2nd pilot in China.

New Member
We are pleased to announce our new member:  Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Ltd (Lloyd’s
Register).
​Welcome to APSCA !l

APSCA Registered Auditors
​We now have approx. 2,500 auditors registered from our 41 Member Firms.  Auditor information received from our Member Firms was assessed and uploaded into APSCA’s data system.  We have begun the process of having those auditors access their account, via a secure password, to complete the registration process.  This involves the completion of an on-line consent to manage their information, signed APSCA Code of Professional Conduct and to upload their image.  Once this is complete each auditor is assigned an APSCA Membership No.  They will be able to access and update their details at any time.  This work is being completed in 3 waves and is estimated to be completed by June 2018.  Following this the public will be able to validate APSCA registered auditors’ key credentials – stay tuned to our Newsletter for an update on when this will be available.

APSCA’s Code of Professional Conduct and Confidentiality Framework Agreement have been sent to all Member Firms for their signature – to review a copy of the Code of Professional Conduct, see our website:

http://www.theapsca.org/working-group.html

2018-2020 Strategy Progress
In the December Newsletter we shared with you APSCA’s Strategy Plan which consists of 5 key pillars:
​·        Validation
·        Governance
·        Compliance
·        Communication
·        Supporting Processes & Systems

We began 2018 with a great start and all elements are on time or in some cases ahead of time, with the only exception being the release of the new Confidentiality Framework Agreement which was delayed by a month due to the Christmas holiday break.

Sedex 2018 Conference
– Come by APSCA’s booth and say “Hi”!
We are proud to be supporting Sedex’s 2018 Conference, which will bring together more than 600 leaders in responsible sourcing for two days’ of discussion, insight, networking and real-world advice, all with the aim of providing practical ways to achieve impact through leadership. If you are going to be there – pop by and see us at our booth!  If you haven’t booked your ticket to secure your place at Europe’s largest responsible sourcing conference in 2018: 13th – 14th March, London, UK – see more at: http://bit.ly/2CDIvB6 

APSCA Support Statement
​Organizations providing support via the APSCA Support Statement  (that was launched last year) continues to grow.  These organizations have provided their permission to use their name / logo which you can view on our website:

http://www.theapsca.org/support-statement.html

If you would like to offer your support and have your organization’s name/ logo placed on our website, please let us know by contacting director@theapsca.org.

Out & About
Check out our “Out & About” page for photos from the great events our Members have been part of:   http://www.theapsca.org/out–about.html

Stay Up-To-Date
Visit our website www.theapsca.org to see the work-in-progress and follow us on LinkedIn.

Off To A Great Start In 2018
Last month we shared that APSCA’s 2018 – 2020 Strategy Plan had been presented to Members at the Annual General Meeting.  The pillars are:  Validation, Governance, Compliance, Communication and Supporting Processes and Systems.

The implementation plans to deliver on each of these pillars was also reviewed and approved by APSCA’s Executive Board.  Below find the key deliverables.

For further information please visit “Our Strategy” page on our website:

http://www.theapsca.org/our-strategy.html

New Member
​We are pleased to announce our membership base continues to grow.  Our latest addition is BCI Compliance Group Limited 

Welcome to APSCA BCI!

Auditor Certification Pilot – China
The dates for our second Auditor Certification Pilot have been confirmed as 7 & 8 March 2018 in Shenzhen, China.

APSCA’s Key Documents
APSCA’s Code of Professional Conduct and Competency Framework for Auditors are posted on our  website.

http://www.theapsca.org/working-group.html

All APSCA members and registered auditors will be receiving the Code of Professional Conduct for signing in the coming weeks. ​

Out & About
Check out our “Out & About” page for photos from the Annual General Meeting plus other great events our Members have been part of:   http://www.theapsca.org/out–about.html

Stay Up-To-Date
Visit our website www.theapsca.org to see the work-in-progress and follow us on LinkedIn.

Annual General Meeting – Germany
APSCA Inc’s Annual General Meeting took place in Cologne, Germany on 4 December 2017.  We had a strong attendance by members followed by an opportunity to meet each other during a casual function. A special thanks to Frank Dorssers, Angela Fernandez and TUV Rheinland for hosting us and to our members who travelled far and wide to take part.

During this meeting, the organization announced it will operate as an independent entity beginning 1 January 2018 after recently incorporating in Washington D.C. USA.   The new Bylaws were presented at the meeting, along with the 2017 Projected Financials and 2018 Draft Budget. In addition, APSCA Inc’s Antitrust Guidelines were shared with members.
 
The following members were re-elected by their peers to the Executive Board:
 
·        Frank Dorssers – TUV Rheinland – B Member Representative
·        Greg Gardner – Arche Advisors – C Member Representative
 
The 2018 APSCA Executive Board consists of:

Stakeholder Board Representatives:
Avedis Seferian – WRAP (Chair)
Wesley Wilson – Wal-Mart (Vice-Chair)
  
A Member Representatives:
Randy Rankin – Independent
Rajan Kamalanathan – BV
Kevin Franklin – ELEVATE
Christophe Liebon – Intertek (Secretary)
Pierre-Yves Dupont – SGS
Fred Waelter – UL
 
B Member Representatives: 
Antonio Astone – DNV-GL
Frank Dorssers – TUV Rheinland
 
C Member Representative:
Greg Gardner – Arche Advisors (Treasurer) 
All documents tabled at the Annual General Meeting can be found on the “Members Only” page of the APSCA website – http://www.theapsca.org/members.html

​Photos of the event can be found on our website on the “Members Only” and “Out & About” pages – all are able to be downloaded.

Auditor Certification Pilot – Turkey
A Summary Report from the recent Auditor Certification Pilot which took place in Turkey in November was shared with Members during the Annual General Meeting. 

The Turkey pilot was considered a success with answers to many questions being obtained throughout the two days.  Participants and examiners were consulted for their feedback, following each examination section, at the end of each day and a follow-up survey at the end of the two days.  Learnings were incorporated where possible for use during the second day and the remainder are being incorporated into the 2nd pilot to be held in China in early March 2018.

Following are some key highlights:

• 11 APSCA Member Firms Participated
• 31 Participants
  • 13 Female
  • 18 Male
• 23 Full-Time 
• 2 Part-Time
• 6 SubcontractorFreelance
• Number of Social Compliance Audit Days Experience:
  • Less than 50 days – 20%
  • 50 – 100 days – 10%
  • 100 – 200 days – 10%
  • Greater than 200 days – 60%

Overall Key Learnings:

• Timing of each exam 2 hours (instead of 90 minutes)
• Addition of “attitude” in overall scoring
• Inclusion of rule if late from break etc.
• Posting of rules in exam room
• Higher scores were achieved in Multiple Choice/Short Answers
• Lack of management systems or triangulation of information

Overall Opportunities:

• Translation of materials and use of local language interviewers
• Use one case study – building for each element between the exam and interviews
• Enhanced communication – APSCA and member firms

Case Study:

• Areas Correctly Identified 
  • Unauthorised sub-contracting
  • Health & Safety
  • Discrimination
• Training Opportunities for Participants
  • Management Systems
  • Migrant Labor / recruitment agencies
  • Triangulation – “Big Picture”
  • Grievance Mechanism

Interviewees:

• Positives Comments (from participants)
  • Overall positive thoughts of the process
  • Different interviewers
  • Case studies realistic, extreme but realistic
  • Length of each interview acceptable
• Opportunities (from participants)
  • Use same case study throughout the day (ie. exam and each interview)
  • Each interview to be held in separate rooms
  • Same interviewer for Opening / Closing Meeting 
  • Timing for Closing Meeting to be extended
  • Transparency in the scoring
  • Bigger breaks between the interviews (due to different scenarios being used)

Interviewers:

• Overall Comments (on participants)
  • Did not react to provocation/argument
  • Asked clarification when they didn’t understand
  • Negative attitude by some
  • Did not share non-corruption policy or communication channel
  • Problem solving ability
• Training Opportunities (for participants)
  • Listening Skills
  • Distracted by calculations and missed identifying potential issues or hearing information from the interviewer
  • Triangulation skills
  • Re-communication of key documentation / policies

Looking Back on 2017
APSCA has had a busy and successful year focusing on delivering on our mission to increase the value and effectiveness of independent social compliance audits by enhancing the professionalism, consistency and credibility of individuals and organisations performing them.  We would appreciate your joining us to celebrate a few of our successes:
​ ·       Delivered the APSCA Code of Professional Conduct (V1 – Principles)
·        Delivered the Competency Framework for Auditors
·        Completion of 1st Pilot for Auditor Certification in Turkey
·        Registered over 2,500 Auditors
·        Membership growth from 17 to 40 Member Firms
·        Incorporated as an independent organization within the USA
·        Developed and approved Bylaws for APSCA Inc.
·        Launched APSCA Support Statement
·        Implemented data system and associated policies
·        Participated in 19 Presentations / Panels / Industry events in 7 countries
·        Conducted over 200 meetings with brand / retailers / audit firms

Looking Forward to 2018
APSCA’s Strategy Plan was presented to the Annual General Meeting.  This strategy consists of 5 key pillars:
​·        Validation
·        Governance
·        Compliance
·        Communication
·        Supporting Processes & Systems
All of which leads to developing Trust in the industry which is APSCA’s vision of “Members and Certified Social Compliance Auditors are the trusted professionals of Social Compliance Auditing”.

Implementation plans, to deliver on each pillar, were discussed in detail during the Executive Board Meeting in December. Below is a summary of APSCA’s 2018 focus:
​ ·       Auditor Certification Process Pilot – China
·        Auditor Certification Process Implementation 
·        Incident Protocol Implementation 
·        Enhanced Firm Membership Approval Process Implementation 
·        Members to securely access their information in the APSCA database
·        Ability for public to validate member credentials via website

Out & About
Check out our “Out & About” page on our website for photos of the Annual General Meeting plus other great events that our Members have been part of:   http://www.theapsca.org/out–about.html

​Thank You!
A big thank you to all our members and stakeholders who have contributed to our success, either via your membership, the various working / consultation groups, Support Statement or spreading news of our work. Your continued participation and interest in APSCA is appreciated and we look forward to working with you all in 2018.

​Season Greetings from the APSCA Inc. Team!
From left: Kerrie Baylis, Rona Starr & Julie Shaw

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 Auditor Certification Pilot Turkey – Update
We are excited to be sending an interim Newsletter to provide you with an update regarding the Auditor Certification Pilot which took place this week in Istanbul, Turkey.

 The pilot took place over 2 days, with different participants each day.  Upon arrival the participants were allocated a number and were divided into 3 groups.  Each group then rotated throughout the day to complete the following exams:

1.  Multiple Choice & Short Answer.
2.  Case Studies.
3.  Simulated Interviews.

The simulated interviews were based on the following scenarios:

1.  Opening Meeting.
2.  Closing Meeting.
3.  Employee Interview.

We appreciate the 11 member audit firms that sent their auditors to participate and the 31 auditors that were so willing to spend the day helping us to improve and refine the process.
Day 1 ran well but as you would expect, we experienced a few logistical learnings which we were able to modify throughout the day, seeing a smoother run for Day 2.

We consulted with the participants  and refined the scenarios for the simulated interviews and improved and aligned our scoring .  We were then able to successfully test these throughout Day 2.

Whilst being without phones all day proved challenging for many, we did all survive through to the end of the day!
Our next steps include reviewing and consolidating the learnings and results from the various exams and will share more in our December Newsletter and at the Annual General Meeting in Germany next month.

A big thank you to all of the auditors who participated who completed multiple exam types in technical English.  We appreciated that for most English was their second language and therefore made for a more challenging day.

 

Day 1 Participants

Day 2 Participants

Thanks to our fabulous interviewers for your efforts over the last two days!

Auditor Certification Pilot Update
We are excited that the pilot for the APSCA Auditor Certification process will take place in Istanbul, Turkey on 9 & 10 November 2017.

Initially, the pilot was to also take place in China the following week, however, following a very productive Executive Board Meeting, it was determined that a postponement will enable us to focus on one event, take key learnings and effectively recalibrate and adjust the process where required before the pilot in China.

The response to participate in the pilot process was positive with over 100 people applying from 26 of our Member Firms.  The auditors selected to participate have a wide range of experience; from less than 1 year to more than 20 years, less than 25 audits to more than 200 social compliance audits, wide spread of education and workplace experience in addition to audit experience.  At least one auditor was selected from each member firm who applied.
The Pilot Exam in Turkey will take a full day and be divided into 3 sections. Upon arrival the participants will be divided into 3 groups and rotate to ensure they complete all 3 sections within the day.
          1.0  Multiple Choice & Short Answers
           2.0  Case Study
​           3.0  Simulated Interview 

 The Simulated Interview group will be divided into 4 groups for different scenarios.  These scenarios have been developed with clear scoring criteria being used by each interviewer.  These scenarios are:

      1.       employee interview
      2.       opening meeting
      3.       closing meeting
      4.       management interview

In order to capture feedback, we will be holding debrief sessions throughout the day with each group and as a collective group at the end of each day. 

As this is a pilot, none of the participants will receive APSCA certification as a result of their participation in the exam and results from the pilot will not be identified to any specific person.  They will be used anonymously to improve the overall process.

We will share more about the pilot performed in Turkey in next month’s newsletter. 

Public Comment – What’s Next?  
As we mentioned in September’s Newsletter, we had a great response to our Public Comment invitation.  The Working and Consultation Groups have discussed the feedback received and to recommend further refinements to the documents.​
The Executive and Stakeholder Boards met the week of 23 October 2017 in the USA to finalise both the APSCA Code of Professional Conduct and Competency Framework for Social Compliance Auditors, and are continuing to make progress.  

More to come and we appreciate all the support received thus far.

Executive Stakeholder Board Meeting, USA, October 2017.  
From Left:  Jonathan Ivelaw-Chapman (Sedex), Laura Chapman Rubbo (The Walt Disney Company), Rochelle Zaid (SAAS), Christian Ewert (FTA), Darrel Doren (BSCI), Christophe Liebon (Intertek), Betty Hutchison (Bureau Veritas), Avedis Seferian (WRAP), Rona Starr (APSCA), Rajan Kamalanathan (Bureau Veritas), Fred Waelter (UL LLC), Randy Rankin (Independent), Petra Herbertz-Crumpler (Walmart), Effie Marinos (SGS).
Photo taken by Greg Gardner (Arche Advisors).

New APSCA Members
We are excited to announce that APSCA membership continues to grow. We have 6 new APSCA members to announce this month:  API Audit Limited, Globalgroup of Companies Limited, Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency, Partner Africa, SIPAS CR-PERU and The British Standards Institution (BSI Group)  

This now brings our membership to 40.  

Welcome to our new members!

General Meeting 2017
A reminder for APSCA firm members that our 2nd General Meeting is scheduled in Koln, Germany on 4 December – 13:00 – 15:00 with time following for everyone to meet and mingle over a light afternoon beverage.

Please follow the link below to our website for further details and to register your participation no later than 30 October 2017 –
http://www.theapsca.org/general-meeting-registration.html

Note:  the password for this page was detailed in the email invitation forwarded to all members.  Should you need this password again please email us:  director@theapsca.org
​

APSCA Support Statement
As launched in last month’s Newsletter, the APSCA Stakeholder Board has developed a Support Statement following many requesting how they could more formally offer their support to APSCA’s efforts, beyond the working/ consultation groups.  Please find a copy of the Support Statement on our website: http://www.theapsca.org/support-statement.html
We continue to receive more and more supporters providing their permission to use their name/ logo and would welcome even more of you!  If you would like to offer your support and have your organization’s name / logo placed on our website, please let us know by contacting director@theapsca.org
 

BSR Conference 2017
​BSR held their conference “How Business Leads” in Huntington Beach, California this month. 

APSCA was pleased to participate in a panel focused on “Integrating Sustainability through Risk and Opportunity”.  It was also a great event to catch up with APSCA members.

To see more, check out our “Out and About” page on our website: 
http://www.theapsca.org/out–about.html