Six bond-free scholarships are up for grabs for first-year students pursuing a Diploma in Food & Beverage Business at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) in the upcoming academic year starting April.

Students with a score of 10 and below for the O levels will be invited to apply for the scholarships, worth $48,000 in total, upon enrolment in the course, said NYP in a media release on Monday.

Local food and beverage companies PastaMatrix International - which manages Pastamania - and Swissbake will be sponsoring $12,000 each.

NYP will match their donations.

Three NYP-Pastamania and three NYP-Swissbake scholarships will be given out, covering the students' annual tuition fees and a one-off computer allowance.

The recipients will also be attached to their respective company for an internship in their final year of studies of their poly course.

They will spend three months in the kitchen and three months in the front-of-house.

Mr Henry Heng, senior director of the poly's School of Business Management, said the collaboration would provide an excellent opportunity for students to get industrial experience and knowledge during their internships.

"They will get to learn the ropes from our partners and, at the same time, prepare themselves for a future career in the food and beverage sector," he said.