Deck · From Auditor to Sustainability Practitioner: The AA1000 Pathway

From auditor

to sustainability practitioner

AA1000 · [DQS LOGO]

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45 minutes

One clear path

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For:

Auditors
SHEQ
ESG teams

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◆

Why now

▲

How AA1000 works

●

Your path

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“So what
changed?”

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King V

ISSB roadmap

JSE guidance

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EU customers

Assurance

Evidence

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AP

Principles 2018

SES

Engagement 2015 → v3

AS

Assurance v3

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Inclusivity

Materiality

Responsiveness

Impact

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The progression

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Management systems auditing

IMS Internal Auditor / Lead Auditor training (completed)

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Stakeholder engagement

Module A: Stakeholder Engagement Practitioner

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Sustainability management

Module B: Sustainability Practitioner (A + B = Sustainability Practitioner)

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Sustainability assurance

GHG module, then Module C: ACSAP → (experience) PCSAP → LCSAP

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Slide 10: The progression path (Lucinda)

Time: 0:09–0:19 · On slide: IMS audit → Engagement → Sustainability → Assurance
Image brief: a four-step staircase graphic

Lucinda presents (about 3 min). Step 1, management systems auditing: where alumni are now (requirements, evidence, interested parties, corrective action). Step 2, stakeholder engagement (AA1000SES + Inclusivity): from a list of interested parties to purpose-driven engagement that is planned, reviewed and measured (Module A). Step 3, sustainability management (all four principles): materiality assessment, responses, links to GRI, ISSB, SASB and ISO 26000 reporting (Module B, which gives Sustainability Practitioner). Step 4, sustainability assurance (AA1000AS v3 + 2024 GHG guidance): preconditions, Type 1/2, Moderate/High, the assurance statement (GHG module, then Module C, which gives ACSAP). "Each step uses what you already know. Nobody starts from zero."

You already have…

Interested parties (ISO clause 4.2)	→	Stakeholder identification and prioritisation (Inclusivity)
Risks and opportunities	→	Materiality assessment
Corrective action, continual improvement	→	Responsiveness and review/improve
Monitoring, measurement, KPIs	→	Outputs → outcomes → impact
Audit evidence and sampling	→	Assurance evidence, Type 1 / Type 2
Auditor independence and competence	→	AA1000AS v3 preconditions + Code of Practice
Audit report and nonconformities	→	Assurance statement + optional Report to Management

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Materiality

Impact

Type 1 / 2

IMAGE PLACEHOLDER · Image brief: an auditor reviewing a sustainability report

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AA1000 v3 · draft-based

SES

2015→v3

the standard that changes

AS

v3

current edition

AP

2018

no new edition stated

Consultation closed
26 Jun 2026Release expected
Q4 2026Transition
[TO CONFIRM]

Based on draft presentations · [VERIFY AGAINST FINAL STANDARD]

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Slide 13: What's changing in AA1000 v3 (draft): at a glance

Time: 0:19–0:25 · On slide: SES 2015 → v3 · AS v3 · AP 2018 · release expected Q4 2026
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Lucinda. Be precise. This is based on AccountAbility's draft and overview material, not a published standard [VERIFY AGAINST FINAL STANDARD]. The Stakeholder Engagement Standard is the one changing: from the 2015 edition to v3 (formally 'AA1000SES v3 (2027)'). The Assurance Standard is already v3 and the Principles stay at 2018. AccountAbility's public consultation closed on 26 June 2026 and release is expected in Q4 2026. Until then, SES 2015 is the basis for certification and assurance, and DQS certificates say 'incl. v3 readiness'. No transition period has been announced [TRANSITION PERIOD - TO CONFIRM].

SES v3 draft: co-creation & impact

Self-assessment1 Strategy2 Design3 Engage4 Measure5 Improve

5–10 KPIs

Outcomes in 2–6 months

Rights & “Right to Say No”

AI policy & bias checks

[VERIFY AGAINST FINAL STANDARD]

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Slide 14: SES v3 (draft): what changes in practice

Time: 0:19–0:25 · On slide: 5 phases · 5–10 KPIs · outcomes in 2–6 months · rights · AI
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Lucinda, short summary only. The draft calls this the 4th generation of engagement: co-creation and impact. Structure: a self-assessment first, then Strategy and Improve at organisation level, and Design, Engage and Measure for each engagement. New expectations include an enterprise-wide strategy and purpose statement, 5–10 KPIs, five engagement levels from Reactive to Transformative, affected stakeholders (rights holders) as well as business stakeholders, Terms of Reference shared before engagement, a response with reasons to every meaningful input, outcome reviews within 2–6 months, UN Guiding Principles alignment and a 'Right to Say No', and a policy and bias checks for AI and digital tools [VERIFY AGAINST FINAL STANDARD].

What it means for assurance

≠

Citing ≠ assured

✓

Code of Practice for all

★

New CSEP credential

[VERIFY AGAINST FINAL STANDARD]

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Slide 15: v3 (draft): what it means for assurance and practitioners

Time: 0:19–0:25 · On slide: Citing ≠ assured · Code of Practice · CSEP
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Lucinda. (1) In the draft, citing SES v3 in a report does not mean the engagement was assured. Where AA1000AS v3 assurance applies, the provider assesses whether SES v3 expectations were met or demonstrably attempted. (2) A Code of Practice covers organisations, auditors and individuals: disclose competencies, conflicts of interest and due diligence on AI-enabled providers. (3) AccountAbility has launched a Certified Stakeholder Engagement Practitioner (CSEP) programme. Until v3 is published, nobody can claim conformity with v3. The separate GHG assurance guidance (2024) already applies to AS v3 work [CONFIRM WHICH 'EXTRA STANDARD' DQS MEANS].

A→B→C→ACSAP→PCSAP→LCSAP

A + B = Sustainability Practitioner · A + B + C = Associate CSAP · PCSAP and LCSAP need assurance experience

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Module A

Stakeholder engagement

Entry point

IMAGE PLACEHOLDER · Image brief: a stakeholder workshop

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Module B

Principles in practice

Sustainability Practitioner

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Module C

Assurance

ACSAP

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Self-paced online

~8 hrs / module

1 year to finish

2 CPD / module

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Module A

R9,600

Module B

R10,800

Module C

R12,000

[VAT STATUS - TO CONFIRM] · [ALUMNI OR BUNDLE OFFER - CONFIRM OFFER]

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Your team

Group pricing

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1

I’m interested

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Send programme info

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Enrol in Module A

[EXPRESS INTEREST LINK]

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Your questions

[EXPRESS INTEREST LINK]

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