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Meet our engineers Todd Downs: male manufacturing engineering apprentice in dark coloured uniform standing to the side of a blue Aston Martin with its bonnet open
Todd Downs - sports car specialist

Todd Downs

Sports Car Specialist

At age 10, I switched on the TV and started watching Top Gear. I thought supercars were super cool, read up more about them and became a bit of a car geek. Now, I look after the body panels on Aston Martins, and make sure they’re top quality.

What is your current role?

Automotive engineer at Aston Martin. I look after the body panels on Aston Martins, and make sure they’re top quality.

What inspired you to become an automotive engineer?

Nobody else in my family was interested in cars, so they didn’t understand why I liked them so much. For me, it was just a hobby, and I didn’t think it could become a job, so I focused on drama, art and music at school. Then I met someone from Aston Martin at a careers fair, and they invited me in for work experience. I loved it straight away. I spoke to graduates and apprentices in the business and that helped me decide what I wanted to do.

Factfile

Role
Automotive engineer at Aston Martin
Favourite part of engineering
New challenges such as leading large teams
Qualification path
School, apprenticeship with a BTEC Level Three in Manufacturing Engineering and an NVQ Level 3 in Engineering
Todd Downs - sports car specialist

Todd Downs, automotive engineer

Back of a black Aston Martin car in testing facility

Aston Martin

Beige leather interior of Aston Martin car, showing steering wheel, dash, and centre console

Aston Martin interior

Todd Downs: male manufacturing engineering apprentice in dark coloured uniform standing to the side of a blue Aston Martin with its bonnet open

Todd Downs, sports car specialist

Apprenticeship at Aston Martin

At the age of 16, I joined the apprentice scheme at Aston Martin and got to work in every area of production. I finished my apprenticeship with a BTEC Level Three in Manufacturing Engineering and an NVQ Level 3 in Engineering. One of the things I really liked about the engineering apprenticeship was the amount of responsibility I was given, which gave me opportunities to hold meetings with directors, take on new challenges such as leading large teams, and sometimes even drive the cars.

"One of the things I really liked about the engineering apprenticeship was the amount of responsibility I was given"

— Todd Downs, automotive engineer

Career timeline

Secondary school

Work experience

Aston Martin

Current role

Automotive engineer at Aston Martin

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