Expert with lived experience co-trainer

About Oliver McGowan and why this role is important

Watch this video about why Oliver's Training has been created and why it is important.

Our current job opportunities

We have a brand new job within North Yorkshire Council to be a co-trainer in a training programme. We have roles available in Scarborough and Harrogate for experts with a learning disability.

Expert with lived experience co-trainer

Salary: £12.85 per hour

Contract: permanent

Hours: 15 hours across two days each month totalling 24 days a year

Location: roles available in Scarborough and Harrogate

About the training programme the role supports

Oliver McGowan was an autistic person with a learning disability who died in a hospital. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism was set up after he died. By having people with lived experience be co-trainers, the training aims to help health and social care staff understand the needs of autistic people and people with learning disabilities better. 

You can find more information and answer to frequently asked questions, in our  easy read document (docx / 9 MB).

You can also find more information about the training on the NHS website.

What you can bring to the role

You will bring:

• your lived experience and knowledge of what people working in support jobs should and should not do
• willingness to train others
• a friendly and positive attitude
• honesty about your experience
• valuable input about how we can improve the training

You will be a champion for change to help healthcare workers understand the needs of autistic people and people with learning disabilities.

Key skills

You will need to be able to:

• read, write and use a computer
• work together with other trainers to make the training even better
• help the trainer identify changes that can be made to provide a better service
• be professional, friendly and welcoming to training delegates
• speak in front of a group of people you may not know about your experiences

If you are successful, you will get full training on how to do the job.

Working for us and what we can offer you

We can offer you a range of employee benefits, including a competitive salary, generous leave entitlement, a government pension scheme and access to our Everybody Benefits package, which includes a variety of retail discounts.

We can offer you a comprehensive benefits package, which can be found in our 'Total Rewards.'

The following are quotes from some of our current experts:

"I just wanted to thank you for being so welcoming and for making me feel like part of the team immediately. I have enjoyed my training so far."

"I love coming to work and meeting people."

Application tips

Before completing your application, make sure that you read the job description document carefully - the information in these documents can be used as a guide for you to complete the supporting evidence section within your application. You can find this document in the “key documents” section of the advert. You do not need to have every skill listed in the document, but we want to hear which ones you have.

The supporting evidence section is very important and will play a key role in the success of your application so please take you time when completing it.

Questions

There is a visual FAQS sheet in our  easy read document (docx / 9 MB).

If you would like help filling in your application form, or have any other questions, you can request help from North Yorkshire Councils’ Supported Employment Team. Please email them at: Supported.employment@northyorks.gov.uk before the 20 March 2026 and a member of the team will contact you within 2-3 working days.

How to apply

To apply for this role please complete the application form and send it back to us by email to sophie.hills@northyorks.gov.uk before the closing date of Sunday 29 March 2026.

What happens next

Shortlisting

We will review all applications after the closing date on Sunday 29 March 2026. The people shortlisting will look at the questions you have answered on your form. We will contact you to let you know the outcome of your application. If we invite you to an interview, we will give you more details.

Interview

Interviews will take place either in the Harrogate Civic Centre or Scarborough Castle House.

If you are successfully selected for an interview, we will contact you in advance of the interview to let you know. We will phone you or email you using the details you have given on your application form.

We will let you know the date, time and place of the interview that you have been selected for. 

We will contact you when we arrange the interview to find out what support we can give to make the interview a positive experience for you and make sure you are supported.

Key dates

Closing date: midnight Sunday 29 March 2026

The hiring manager will make decisions on who to interview on 30 to 31 March 2026.

You will get a response from us by 10 April 2026.

Interview dates:

• 27 April 2026 at Harrogate Civic Centre
• 1 May 2026 at Scarborough Castle House

Living and working in North Yorkshire

We are a high performing council that puts our residents at the heart of what we do and we have a lot to celebrate. North Yorkshire is England's largest county with stunning coastlines, scenic rural villages and market towns as well as two spectacular national parks. North Yorkshire really is a beautiful place to live and work, full of heritage and culture.

We are the region's largest employer with a workforce of over 15,000 people. We have a diverse mixture of roles such as legal, teaching, planning, social work, engineering and more. We can offer you the opportunity to develop your career. From social care to highways, environment to arts and leisure, our services are regarded as among the best nationally.

We are a loyal and committed workforce and we are resilient, innovative and stay ahead of the curve.