Bulgaria is facing a drastic shortage of people with the right skills and experience while hoping to position itself among IT leaders in southern Europe, the Financial Times writes.

IT companies employ some 40 000 software engineers, but are struggling to find thousands more, with the software industry having increased its share in the national output five times in ten years and still growing, according to the FT's Investing in Bulgaria report.

The outgoing cabinet has pledged to create 30 000 IT graduates in less than a decade, but industry figures suggest education should be targeted to address particular skills gaps.

Successful models of cooperation between education and businesses are also cited such as the activities of the Educational-Industry Board and, which aims to encourage schools and employers to work together.

The full piece is available here.