In order to succeed in the global oil and gas industry, international oil companies need to demonstrate that they provide unique services and possess singular technical capabilities, said Andy Inglis, chief executive of BP's exploration and production unit in Houston.

Speaking to the Houston Chronicle, the executive explained that the company's new technical training centre in the state capital has been designed to ensure the company can continue to "take on the challenges that others can't".

"For the international oil companies to be relevant, they have to be doing things that other people can't do," he explained.

The new oil and gas training centre can provide courses for up to 4,000 engineers, geologists and technical specialists every year.

As well as focusing on exploration and production training, the company also supports specialisation in refining and client-side operations with specially-designed graduate training programmes in operation at strategic bases across the globe.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development