Atomic collisions in solids lead to ionisation and electron ejection from the target atoms. The subsequent migration of electrons through the solid contributes significantly to energy deposition and damage creation. Several groups developed theoretical models on electron transport in solids and electron emission from solid surfaces. Before including ionisation by ions or atoms, such models have to deal correctly with electron induced ionisation. A basic test is the comparison to experimental data on electron emission. We therefore measured the electron yields induced from both surfaces of thin carbon foils (10-2000 nm) induced by electrons (0.2-5 keV) and compared them to simulation results obtained with two Monte Carlo codes developed independently and using different approximations for the electron interactions in the foil.